Coping Mechanisms
by Sanitarium
Summary: Baird's been losing himself in his imagination recently with thoughts when it comes to Private Byrne and needs to figure out how to act upon them. A look at the moments between Baird and Sam during the and after the third game.  Sam/Baird and everone else
1. Chapter 1

Baird's been losing himself in his imagination recently with thoughts beyond his control when it comes to Private Byrne. A look at the moments between Baird and Sam during the events of the third installment of the game. There just isn't enough of these two so I wrote this for entirely self fulfilling reasons but I hope others can enjoy.

Rated M for language, adult situations and lewd thoughts.

"So this is it, where all the magic happened huh? A place founded on years of tradition and jock strap sweat and it meant so much that these people have preserved it after all of this. You know, I'd say I'm almost impressed." Sam remarked as they stepped into the locker room of Thrashball champions, The Cougars. She watched her step as a few old banners still dotted the floor, incredibly faded and beaten but stepping on them none the less seemed as though it would be an offense to her fellow COG Cole and Sam liked Cole. He was a good drinking buddy besides Dizzy and had a similar taste in music as her, one of the only people she would ever trust enough to lend her collection of vintage soul and jazz music too.

"Stare in awe baby, this is a place where legends stood! Including myself number 83," chuckled the large former defensive line man. His eyes were washing over the lockers and he could recall a name with each one as he slowly walked the line to his own. Each one was a gravestone to a career and person no longer here and he didn't feel particularly happy about seeing his own.

"Funny, I bet whenever you remember yourself in a locker room it was on your knees huh Sam," Baird could not help but insert his unwanted two cents, nose and lips turning into a sneer. "This'll be a good change of pace for you, it's good to try new things."

The young female COG shot him one of those looks that only estrogen could manufacture and tossed her assault rifle back against her shoulder, mindful of the blades. Carmine had slipped in along side them but was mindful to avoid the direct line of soul shredding conversation the two were always at finding by detouring around a second row of lockers. Augustus Cole had gone silent as he lifted the small lever and opened up a world of unexpected memories, a time capsule preserved from an era that would always just be a memory. For that reason everyone else seemed to act a bit more respectful just the same and quelled their bickering and comments, this wasn't a locker room anymore it was a shrine to some still. Samantha started imagining the motivational posters that once lined the walls, now just outline and tack holes left to testify of them. She caught Baird staring too, but not at her or the walls but at Cole. From the corner of his eye the blonde corporal was observing his long time friend with what Sam could only believe was concern. It made her smile knowing not everyone was as shallow as they seemed and she stepped closer to him.

"You care for him don't you?" Private Byrne asked softly receiving a sharp stabbing look before the sentence was even finished. Quickly she assured, "I'm not mocking you Damon."

"Don't call me that, and yeah Cole and I…we go further back than I can remember sometimes. If anyone still deserves to have a statue of them standing it's that guy," he sighed his shoulders starting to sag and open up.

She was still smiling and it was obviously starting to make Baird uneasy., Sam wasn't known for a cheery disposition of all things and neither was he. Maybe that was why at that moment and time things seemed almost indescribably natural for the two.

"Why can't I call you by your first name? It's not like it's even a bad name like Pete or Carl," pressed Sam.

"Because Byrne, we're not on a first name basis." In reality he couldn't stand the way she said it with her accent. It was like a piece of candy on her tongue and he wanted to hear it more and more once she started.

His attitude was starting to wear the woman thin and her eyes rolled but she tried to stay positive. God that was a fucking impossibility. Baird looked over to the younger private and tried to keep his eyes from roaming as they were prone to when she was unaware. Despite everything he ever had and would say to her he was man, and she was a great visual addition to any situation. It didn't hurt she wasn't the worst with a pistol, rifle or bike either which was why he found himself constantly selling her short. Sooner or later Sam would realize that she was better than him at everything and he needed to delay that.

"If you're going to try and trade me for bacon, we're on a first name basis Damon, deal with it." She pointed out and stepped into his personal space. Their armored chests bumped and he was pushed into lockers behind him, pinned their by Sam and her sinful narrowed eyes. Her one free hand reached up to poke him in the breast bone area.

"Fuck bacon, I'd trade you for a spare tire at this point." Baird spat back. He made sure Cole was still occupied, leafing through an old playbook which made him feel a tad guilty for being so distracted from his buddy.

"Oh now Damon, don't be so sour," her lips pursed and she leaned in even further.

There was some unspoken rule of mutual attraction they had both silently decided to abide to and deny if ever accused of or asked about. She was like sand between his teeth, most noticeable when his molars where clenching and impossible to get it all out. Their armor was mutually thick, keeping a good seven or so inches between them in reality but unknowingly or not they pressed further into one another. His left hand held onto the Gorgon pistol he'd been forced to pick up along the way and his right grabbed her mesh covered hip, thumb digging in around the bone. Sam winced slightly in response to the pain, her brows furrowing in that way.

"If I could find a way to shut you up…" Baird romanced out loud, his eyelids starting to flutter shut.

"Da-a-a-mon," Samantha cooed in his ear.

His knees knocked and his grip tightened, the blood was leaving his head and heading South for the season. Baird was forced to take several deep breaths and remember the proper steps to dismantling a Rogue Carrier's Guidance system. Remove the bolts, set aside your panel and locate the four nodes before continuing, gently remove the nodes in a clockwise direction with her tongue curled…

"Damon…" she nuzzled his neck and dropped her gun so both hands could be free and roam over his shoulders, groping well toned biceps. "Damon, show me how you'd shut me up."

_Oh fuck. Fuck me, fuck this. FUCK! _His pulse was pounding as almost as hard as hard as his dick when he snapped out of it and realized that while Sam was standing closer than normal she wasn't pressing wantonly against him begging for him to rip off every last article of her clothing and cure her with his cock of all healing. Not that giving it a try wouldn't hurt for starters however he mused gaze flashing to her rack, b cups most likely. They were hidden pretty well underneath all her armor which explained the Corporals vivid imagination.

Just how long had his mind been wondering, Damon S. Baird wondered and covered his tracks, afraid his behavior had gone noticed.

"Go check on Carmine, we don't have time for this shit." He commanded. When Sam didn't budge he snapped. "NOW! Are you deaf?"

Sam's lips moved like she was about to say something, the wheels in her head obviously turning with steam powered hate. There was the perfect retort waiting but she held it back, obviously thinking better of the situation and turned on the balls of her feet. Her shoulder brushed against his, their eyes still locked before she finally stepped away. Once she was gone Baird was finally free to exhale and brush the sweat gathered on his forehead back and through his hair. He had to get his shit together. It felt like he was covered in tiny cracks and no matter how hard her fought it his sanity was slipping away, leaking out of his seams comically. Baird had himself convinced Samantha was just a vehicle for his imagination at this point, an incredibly erotic coping mechanism he'd developed. Cole had once jokingly referred to his love/hate relationship with the woman as an Oedipus complex, whatever that meant. Speaking of his friend, when he turned to check on him he was gone, locker left open and the door still swinging. Shit. How do you lose the Jolly Black Giant? This was all his fault, or all imaginary Sam's fault rather.

"Cole? Shit….COLE!" He took long steps, sprinting to the last place he'd seen his friend and looked around to find it was surprisingly quiet. Facing Baird was a picture, two smiling and very young men that had been taped on the inside of the locker door. One was obviously Augustus and the other looked like a coach. His coach. It was his high school football coach, the one Baird had heard Cole mention with only the most reverence on several exclusive moments. He wasn't sure why, but he grabbed the picture before heading towards the exit. On the other side of the middle row of lockers Clay Carmine and Samantha were both readying up, but he caught the sight of Clay's hand sympathetically perched on the small of her back and felt a flash of jealousy. Really? Carmine? Of course he chose to misdirect all his emotions and aggression to his teammates. "What the fuck are you waiting for? We need to find Cole! Crazy asshole…"

Baird took off in pursuit, sure the others would be not to far behind but he feared what they might be talking about in his absence and just what could have happened to his friend.


	2. Chapter 2

[ Thanks for all the reviews everyone! I wasn't expecting so many so quick so in return I thought I'd do what I could. A new chapter, a longer chapter! Different tone for sure, but I like it. Baird/Sammy ]

"_So Where Do I Stand?"_

Anvegad, it was everything they'd said it would be, industrious and well guarded and now fucked. The siege was unbelievable. His shoulder was numb from the endless amount of shots he'd fired, ears still dull like he was hearing through a layer of cotton and sometime during all of the fire fights, fall backs and final desperate last chance plan he'd been pretty beat up and a light bit toasty. Then came the worst, the Lambent Charger following the return of Anya and Sam. God damn had he been terrified facing that thing and he was pretty sure he'd twisted his ankle having to constantly dodge it. Had that really all happened? He couldn't have made anything more fantastic up himself if he'd wanted to. It had just grown quiet, relatively and Baird was allowing himself some time to cool down, analyze and recover. This shit was heavy, real heavy and the only thing that relieved a bit of the weight was the nights cool air, tainted still by the smell of soot and smoke. Out of character he'd left his gun behind, feeling confident the rest of the night would be of a peaceful nature and strolled through the much abandoned streets hoping to find maybe a salvageable piece of machinery. Maybe he could finally find a power cell for JACK, Baird mused and kicked the half-ash remnants of the Berserker that had yet to blow away in the wind. Yes, it had really happened. The dent in Anvil Gate testified to that as did the damage and loss of life. He could see on each side of the entrance the two guard towers were lit up. While one was quite the other he could see movement in, just a shadow against the outline of the search light. Somehow he could tell they spotted him too, freezing in a single spot before slowing their movements and trying to hide within the other spots of darkness.

"Hey!" Baird called. "Everything all right up there?"

"Y-yeah, we're fine," the stranger answered back.

Just like he knew they had spotted him Baird also knew that voice. Oh how familiar it was, he'd hurt it a lot recently now that they'd arrived in Anvegad but he knew it before that.

"Sam?" Quizzically, he asked.

The extended silence was an answer of itself but it was revealing to see that Samantha answered honestly anyway. "You got me, now stop yelling you bloody moron!"

The stairs leading up to her vantage points zig zagged back and forth across the side of the building all the way up. Tonight besides foregoing his gun he'd also left most of his armor behind the same. He had gotten up unable to sleep and unable to care that he was in his pajamas almost, as a COG his clothe body under armor was pretty much the most comfortable thing they could rest in. This allowed him to ascend the steps rather quietly, the bit of sweat he broke stinging the scratches on his face is dripped into. By the time he reached the top Baird was a little bit out of breath, but his eyes were adjusted to the dark and he saw Sam now who appeared to be in much of the same condition as him, if not worse. She had a Long Shot rifle propped against the lowered towers edge, a seat next to it, her ass in it and she faced away from him.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Guard duty. You're distracting me Baird, please go away." Sam said. Requested more accurately, voice soft. Not typical Sam.

She didn't use his first name he noted with some disappointment, also that the closer he got the more evident the smell of alcohol in the air was. _Really? _It wasn't entirely surprising, Baird had seen the young woman sitting back multiple times with her other Gears throwing back shots and laughing intoxicatingly. Obviously this was different. Baird thought briefly if he should turn and run rather than get involved with all of this but how could he not call her out on this? It was too good.

"It's going to be kind of hard to shoot that if you're seeing double, Private." Scolded the Corporal. "You know the men have to drink that to find you pretty, not the other way around."

"Fuck you," she said, turning, knocking over the bottle that sat by her feet but catching it before a drop could spill Without further prompting she said rather cryptically, "It's all burning again Baird. We damn near destroyed ourselves this time too, and for what?"

There was a wobble in her knees as Sam stood but she was steady once on both feet. Her brown hair was absolutely caked with soot and debris with a lot of stuck to her forehead and head band, spots of her skin were scorched and blood had started to dry along her forearm and elbow bend. Still wearing her armor with it unlatched at the chest and shoulders to hang apart revealing that she was bathing in a good bit of sweat. She was coming in at a solid ten and a half right now, he had a perfectly good chance to stare on too and strangely enough he didn't have an inkling the desire to at the moment. No, of all things he was feeling a tinge of…sympathy? Ugh, maybe it was dysentery too, that seemed more probable as his stomach started knotting. He'd forgotten that this was Sam's home somehow, a place constantly torn by the war and just when it had gotten a little better it was burning again. That's what she meant. The bottle was hanging in her right hand, gripped just around the lip between her curled index and middle finger, wavering as she did slightly. Samantha had been staring at him solemnly, waiting for an answer but he just shrugged and sighed.

"Shit happens Sam." Baird informed her, tone flat. He was trying to address her as a COG, not a woman that was held together by fraying threads because he wasn't any good at that. "Is this how you're gonna fight back though, sitting up here, drinking and by yourself because you have no friends? Because let me tell you that's a shitty plan."

She threw the bottle at him at half strength and missed. "Fuck you Baird, alright? For once in your life just imagine anyone else's misfortune besides your own or keep your mouth shut if you don't think our suffering amounts to yours?"

Walking towards the South side of the tower Samantha looked out at Avengad, still spewing smoke in a few spots though the fires had been extinguished and the Lambent bodies were disposed of. That was the general store her mom used to send her to whenever there was food and money available, the pub across the street where she'd spent her growing years learning the facts of life and standing in line when it was Winter and supplies were forced to be cut into rations. This was one of the few places she could look and recall honest to god good memories. How long had that lasted? How long would it last again after they'd rebuilt again?

The bottle that whizzed by his temple, barely catching her superior in his head made his temper spark and he wanted to send her toppling right over the edge she was leaning against now. Not leaning against, almost over. She had the haunches of a fucking horse, he thought realizing while it wasn't the sexiest analogy nothing would do that picture justice. His temper faded and he realized it was happening again.

"_Shiiit,_" he swore to himself, right foot kicking the ground while he bit his tongue to hold back anything else he might be apt to involuntarily say. Baird, blaming all of his actions from here on out on battle fatigue and sleep deprivation came again to Sam's side. Close to putting a comforting hand on her back he thought again and instead set it on the railing beside her. "Anvegad is still standing Sam, doesn't that at least matter to you? You saved your home. You're a…you did good."

"Noooo," groaned the Gorasni woman, elbows propped on the edge of the railing teetering off the edge as her head added even extra weight in her hands. How she wasn't falling over was a miracle. "You did Baird, you did. You saved her. Thank you…and fuck you."

He laughed. Out loud, from the gut laughed and heard it echo startling himself with the sudden show of emotion. It was funny though that she couldn't give a compliment with out an insult tacked to the end.

"You're welcome, and fuck you too." Baird replied, still smiling in the dark. Maybe all those times she had tried to get him to join her and the others in the bar he had been missing out, but he knew in reality he would have never been able to exactly fit in either. Maybe they would have fallen into bed together one of those nights by happenstance however, maybe they would even tonight.

"Y-you were so good with that Berserker," Sam rambled on. "I mean though, I hate you still you know? I should throw you off this tower Damon."

Without much thought he finally did put a hand to her back, but pushed instead so that she almost toppled. "Not if I do it first."

"FUCK!" Sam shrieked, thrashing quickly away from the ledge, stumbling on her own feet before righting herself to punch Baird in his chest. After she was left panting, starting to shiver now in the evening. "You're such an asshole."

"Hey, I told you not to use my first name. Next time it'll be for real if you keep it up," he was still laughing, wondering as well how she could stay on her feet anymore.

The night was filled with their voices and the city seemed like it could have been entirely their's at that moment. Her fists were clenched at her sides, eyes blood shot and posture stiffer than a board as she kept that no nonsense stance that always said she was just as good as everyone else. He sighed.

"I'm sorry Samantha I couldn't help myself." It didn't help the occasional snicker still broke apart the man's words. She didn't show any signs of believing him just yet. He reiterated hands raised up and open before him, "Really, I'm sorry."

Head cocked and one brow furrowed Byrne was giving him the once over, twice if you wanted to count the images splitting in her eyes trying to decide the authenticity of his words. Clearly something in that last batch of shine had gone bad and now she was simply suffering a form of psychosis. Yes, that made more sense than what was happening.

"You just apologized to me Damon," she announced, disbelief in her ringing voice.

"I warned you-"

At first he thought she must have fallen, taken a drunken spill over her own big feet and would up using him to keep from hitting the deck but that wasn't the case. She had fallen into him too softly though, arms knowing where they wanted to go rather than fighting for a handhold. Sam was hugging him.

"Sam…," the outstretched hands of his lowered and came to rest on her back, hesitant in their touch. He was kicking himself for having a million ideas of what he would do the moment he could touch her and now that she was there he couldn't find the intent or the gall.

_Because taking advantage of a drunk girl is a real class act._

Her head fit just under his chin and filled his nose with her scent of sweat and sweetness so potent in her hair. Finally his hands found confidence, wrapping around a few more inches to securing her and the fact she wasn't just hugging him anymore. It sounded like she whispered 'thank you' into his chest at some point but he didn't ask for a correction. He looked forward in front of the gate to the churned and bloody earth, still tilled from the battle and followed its path inwards past the inside doors. He looked at the city of Anvegad which wore fresh scars of battle just like the rest of them, it's wounds of crumbling buildings, discarded shell casings and then to its weary daughter in his arms.

"Anvegad still stands Sam, she's still here." Baird spoke slowly leaning back, forcing himself to break the last bit of human contact he had in months. "And so do you alright?"

She looked up, her eyes had the fire again and she nodded. He tried to keep his face straight again, terrified Sam was going to understand what was happening beneath the surface if he wasn't careful and kept his distance from now on.


	3. Chapter 3

[Thank you for still reading and all the love Baird and Sam have been giving. I hammered out the last chapter faster than I should have since I knew I'd be busy this week but it was worth it. I present Chapter 3 that got lots of love, rewrites and proof reads. I don't have a beta/proof reader so comments and constructive criticism ARE welcome, I haven't written much of fan fiction in 10 years so I am rusty.

A special thanks to JadziaCee for not being afraid to go there, Black Flower for the support and her works as well and that of other readers. None the less, here's what you've been waiting for, enjoy!]

_-CNV Sovereign: Apprx. 2 Weeks Before Destruction-_

"Hey, those are mine!" Baird announced loudly.

He was always loud though and the other refugees and former soldiers had gotten used to it so his shouting didn't cause much of a stir around the mess hall. If possible all outside Delta Company generally tried to avoid him, so only those chosen few within the squad even pantomimed raising their gazes as if interested. Stone-fast he stared on across at Sam, nearly boring holes through the woman who reacted as if this was an every day occurrence because in fact it was. Her fork wad mid level to her mouth and Samantha chose to set it down rather than finish her bite and brushed a few bits of her hair back from her face purposelessly. Afterwards she gave him her best innocent gaze, fingertips touched together under her chin to add to it. .

"Don't give me that look. Those are **my** goggles Sam, hand them over."

Instinctively she tried to look up at the items in question even though they were perched on top of her head. It was lunch time and they'd all just piled in to shove as much bland food down their throats to edge off starvation before going back to the grind stone of scrabbling just to get by. For whatever reason, the entire squad had been rather quiet up until this point to. This was dumb. She had innocently forgotten the welder/mechanic goggles she'd been using earlier before leaving for their break. Besides they were shop's goggles anyway.

"You're being a brat. They're not your goggles. I was using them on the hull in the shop where they've been every day for the past week because I leave them there every night." Countered Sam.

His nostrils flared. "Yeah, because I left them there before that. They're my favorite pair, I wrote my name on the inside of the headband. They're the only pair that's worth a damn."

"I know, that's why I'm using them." Her tone was fighting to remain flat as she addressed his points and complaints. "See, rather than having my retinas being burned away because of faulty equipment, I figured you wouldn't mind us sharing."

"You figured wrong. They're mine. Give them back before you ruin them." This had gone beyond an uncivil discussion, now it was a war for a war's sake. "You're probably stretching the band out with your fat head right now."

Sam's jaw dropped and she slapped a hand against the table top. It was a rough morning; there had been no running water when they woke, fixed that, crops are struggling, tried to fix that, and their second Silverback's tracking system was misfiring and now she had to deal with Baird, it was too much.

"You are SUCH a child!" She shouted, mistakenly gathering the attention of more than Delta Squad. After all, Sam wasn't always yelling so this might have been a scene worth interest others could only surmise. Even Dom who had become the most distant from them was given cause to look up.

"Really? Looks like you're the one throwing a tantrum," mocked Damon in a hushed voice, leaning forward a bit over the table. He wasn't even sure why he'd started the argument in the first place. Because he could probably? Boredom? Sam had just been in the wrong place and wrong time when the mood struck him he reasoned, but boy did she look nail bitingly excitable when she was mad. It didn't occur to him just yet how these sort of incidents had been becoming more frequent between Byrne and he.

Not figuring the pretty private school boy to be much of one for mind games, Samantha had grown increasingly irritated at having been made to look like a bit of a sod now too. Bottom lip disappearing under her teeth as her fists balled on the table, she came aware she was only feeding into his game by doing this but the ball was still in her corner.

"You're right Baird, I'm the one acting childish. And like you, I don't like sharing." She pulled one leg up and back over the bench seat, then her other. All that anger had suddenly left her, like it just dripped free off her form and she was lighter, happier. Without further addressing anyone she simply strode out of the mess hall and started towards the deck.

"That's not good," Anya smirked without looking up. "You know she's up to something if she's smiling that much."

"She's smiling?" Jace asked, a pocket of food still in one cheek.

Baird was not unaware of this and started after her almost immediately but not as gracefully. Catching his second foot on the bench he almost tripped righted himself, and took off after the female COG. Up until that time she had been striding casually, but when the doors of the outer maintenance hallway to the deck burst open behind her Samantha immediately started into a sprint. There was no doubt who it was chasing her.

"What are you doing Sam!" Baird yelled after her.

"I told you, I don't like sharing! If I can't have these neither can you." The smile could be heard in her voice. Things definitely were bad. She picked up her pace even more now, knowing that while she could run faster Baird could go longer. There had to be a way to even the playing field. _Think clever girl, think!_ Ask and receive. To their left was an access stairwell, the door readily propped open making a quick turn easy for the lighter Gear. Sam used these stairs almost every night and usually two at a time as she did now.

"Don't you dare, you bitch!" He wasn't shocked to see her take the stairs instead of heading straight to the lower level deck, he was however mildly impressed at how quickly she darted up them. Otherwise Damon was cursing her name and trying to catch up, his lungs starting to burn.

There were only several flights thank God, and she probably set a personal record scaling them. It was a warm day, the exit door at the top was propped open as well and Sam was home free now. She stopped running so damn fast, mostly from the sudden fatigue in her thighs just as she reached the railing. The smell of the salt air whipped up over the edge and cooled her heated flesh, but reeked of old imulsion and chemical contaminants.

"DON'T!" Damon was in the door way now, his cheeks red as he puffed for air. Sam made sure he got within a good several yards of her before doing or saying anything rash. "Sam I am serious, I like that pair."

"I know," she sighed, still winded herself and sympathetic to his cause. "I do too, but like you said they're ruined since I stretched the band out with my fat head. Huh, … funny … that is your name written on there."

And just like that, the item that had been hanging on her index and middle fingers by the head strap was released overboard and splashed insignificantly below. Yes, she had cut off her nose to spite her face but the sheer hate in Baird's eyes was definitely worth it. Maybe now he would stop trying to fuck with her so much, she thought leaning back in to the updraft a bit, with her forearms supporting her.

"Real mature Samantha. Just don't let me ever catch you using my tool belt because if your fat ass stretches that out I'm tossing you out with it."

Ever ready with a witty retort, Sam looked back over her bare shoulder ready to duel but found herself unable to when she caught Baird staring at said ass in question. Of course his gaze darted away but god damn did she look good with the wind blowing in her hair and all that shit he thought. It was odd and a little exciting to know that he sometimes looked at her like that and Samantha realized she was blushing, thankful no one else would though. After her failed attempts at showing any interest in Dom she couldn't help but think it had to do with some fault of her own. Maybe she was too rough around the edges or too much like one of the guys to still be attractive. Now that witty retort had crawled back over her numb tongue, to a swollen throat and she had to avert her gaze too. _Damn._

Baird rubbed the back of his neck, astounded by her or not right now he was still sore about his goggles however and planned to avenge them. Without saying anything further he started to beat a quick retreat not sure just what had happened then and there and not wanting it to go on any longer either. Just in case Sam thought she had won this round however he kicked the rock someone had been using as a door stop out of the way as he reached the stairwell. There was no handle on the outside of the door to get back in.

"How's that for childish? Good luck getting down Sam!" He yelled before it finally slammed shut.

_-Avengad - After the Siege of Anvil Gate-_

_Good morning Samantha Byrne, this is your wake up call to the fact you are no longer young enough to drink like that. Please make sure the contents of your stomach have been completely evacuated before continuing with your hangover, their contents may have shifted during travel._ Her own voice taunted inside the confines of the aching skull, attached to knotted shoulders above a tight lower back and numb legs. For a moment it seemed as if she finished dry heaving in the sink finally for the morning. How she had returned to the barracks with the rest of the team was a mystery for another date, Sam was just glad she'd returned wearing pants. She stood to face herself in the mirror and found a second set of eyes looking back besides her own bloodshot ones. Santiago was hiding the faintest of smiles, amused at her suffering, this was her nightmare. Turning on the faucet Sam splashed her face, washed the bile and vomit down the rusty sink basin and took several drinks from her cupped hands swearing iron water never tasted so good. It seemed as though she had found an immediate cure to the worst of her ailments. She leaned down, finding it easier to just drink from the faucet like a degenerate.

"Careful," Dom advised, for some reason not feeling it inappropriate to stand around and watch one of her lower moments. "You're just going to make yourself sick again."

"I don't need instructions on how to be hung over, Santiago," she bit back in between gulps of water and breath, feeling like she could drink for days. The water was cold, her mouth sour and revolting. Sam didn't stand back up until she was sure her stomach full. Full and quivering. "Oh God.."

Both arms were wrapped around the ceramic sides of the sink's girth when she bent back over holding her steady once more with her forehead pressed to the spigot as she threw the water right back up. This had to stop, they had to go, today was going to be long. Dominic's hand squeezed her shoulder. This wasn't the sort of comfort she wanted when she drank too much or was sick or hurt. Friendship was nice but there was a certain personal companionship you needed of someone if they were going to hold your hair back while you hurled up all of last nights mistakes in between sobs so Samantha felt. She had wanted Dom to be that companion too for some time, but it like other memories were times past and opportunities lost. Having him here now seemed to grate already exposed nerves but she was sure that was the 'shine still talking. Either way when Sam looked back over her shoulder he'd gone and she was left with no comfort or companionship to resent at all.

-_Elsewhere-_

"Damon!"

The door slammed shut, his eyes slammed open and he nearly hit the fucking roof. He was still stuck halfway in the sensation and sounds of his dream and being ripped from them against his will. The warmth and weight in his arms of another form which had seemed so real in his dream was just another figment of his restless and growing imagination. At least these were the good dreams, it was the bad ones he'd had for almost a year after him and Tai had been captured that had robbed him of sleep and almost all sanity. Did he ever sleep anymore without dreams? With the dirty fingertips of his gloves he wiped the sleep from the corner of her eyes and uncrossed his legs. It was Fenix staring back at him, figured. Cock block. He'd drifted off in a seat in the Raven where he may or may not have been purposefully avoiding the others so he could tinker on this or that inside the bird and keep his head clear. It hadn't worked and he'd been caught it seemed.

"Where's Anya and Carmine?" The meat-tank of a man asked Baird in that unmistakable rattling voice of his..

"Dunno. You think I'm hiding them in here though?" The mechanic mocked him, noticing Marcus eyeing the interior of the Raven for something as he took off some of his bandoliers and let his lancer rifle drop across the bench seating

"It's where you were hiding, wasn't it?" Marcus was not in the mood for his mechanics usual pissing and moaning that lead up to every conversation they'd ever had. His father weighed heavy on his mind, they were wasting time every minute they weren't on the move and getting pushed further down the current they were trying to swim upstream. He wanted to go, now and the only person he could find was fucking Baird. "Go round up the others, we need to get to that island which means we need fuel which means we need to get to Mercy."

The complete indignity at being accused of 'hiding' here in the Raven had Baird seeing red and pondering punching a superior officer however when he heard their first destination in mind that was put aside. He couldn't see any good coming of this and looked to Fenix, head cocked. "Are you sure that's such a good idea? I mean you know with Dom and all I just-"

"I didn't ask you for your opinion or questions. Just do it Corporal." The insinuation he hadn't already thought of such a terrible thing was enough to get under the man's normally thick skin.

Baird threw his hands up in exhaustion, doing anything else would be akin to just further pounding his head against this brick wall. Whatever, he was glad he was wasn't going with them anyway, he would consider it his reward for breaking the encryption discs, defeating the leviathan and just basically being an indispensable bad ass motherfucker. Okay, so maybe he wasn't as popular as Cole, as agreeable as Carmine or didn't have Anya's rack but where was his fanfare or even so much as a thank you? Sometimes he was positive Delta didn't appreciate him and Marcus had officially put him in a sour mood as the Sergeant was prone to do. He almost didn't even remember why he was walking away from Anvil Gate anymore before he was given a great visual reminder. The two women strode side by side, Lt. Stroud laughing about something and adjusting the strap of her duffle bag while Pvt. Byrne had her own half-cocked smile and a pair of construction sunglasses the other woman had given her as treatment for her light sensitivity on this particular morning It was turning into a beautiful day in spite of everything and while maybe not all the citizens of Anvegad had their spirits lifted The Gears were starting to perk up. The sun was almost at high noon and the air warm meaning it was going to get hot in a few hours, very hot. Baird raised a hand to them both, to catch their attention.

"Marcus wants-"

"We know! Thanks Baird!" Anya shouted back, never slowing a step.

Sam only looked long enough to notice him and made no effort to acknowledge his presence thereafter. Really, even after he'd helped her home the night before? Was everyone just going to shit on him today? He stopped walking and almost turned around over the matter and before an all encompassing hand on his shoulder changed everything. Of course it was Cole and the man could see something had been troubling his pal just now, it was all over his face.

"You poutin' over something Damon?" Cole asked, a brow raised.

"What? No. Wait…" For an unexplainable reason he gave himself away, looking back one last time at Sam and Anya and hoping they were out of hearing range.

Turning back he saw the look of satisfaction that had washed over Cole's face, stretching a smile ear to ear while he started crossing his hands over his chest as well. "Ahhh, the oldest story, the lament of a heart in love. Lady troubles, the Cole Train should have known."

"A heart in love? Your fuckin' whacked in the head, too many concussions in your thrash ball career buddy. And I'll have you know that those two do not count as ladies."

"You doth protest too much!" His voice boomed with laughter.

"Shut up Cole," he could only reply meagerly, desperate to change the subject. "Anyway, Marcus needs you and uh-" Baird started flipping through his cargo pockets, "I wanted to give this back to you before you guys head out. I forgot about it after we left Hanouver."

Gifts were not Baird's style so it caught Cole off guard and his mind churned trying to imagine whatever it was but he couldn't think of anything. Looking at the old high school picture he felt a cold pang in his gut and clenched his jaw just slightly. Funny neither man could come to look one another in the eye for a few moments as the photo was exchanged. Finally the awkward silence was broken with a chuckle and the Cole punched his friend appreciatively in the shoulder, hard enough to make Baird wince in fact. He didn't complain, just gave the man their usual hand shake and fist bump.

"For what it's worth I'm glad I didn't leave you in that toilet," Cole mused.

"Yeah yeah. Just watch your ass out there Augustus."

"I will man." He saw Baird's line of sight drifting back to the women who stood by their vehicle once again. The white boy always had the subtly of a bull in a china cabinet, so Nana would have said. "Anyone else you want me to keep an eye on too?"

Baird refused to dignify the question with a response. Either way, the Raven Fleet and fuel trucks were firing up and they needed to head out towards Mercy to gather fuel. Cole wasn't heading to Mercy with them, but Hoffman had a fleet of Raven's following the fuel trucks for several miles towards a hidden armory outpost and wanted Old Number 83 to accompany them. The two just nodded to one another in spite of the noise, Cole taking off towards the jets there after. The girls were still standing there. Just what could they be talking about? He was feeling especially paranoid since Sam hadn't spoke to him all morning and now Cole had seen through all his bullshit in a matter of minutes. Whatever, he had other matters to attend to and turned around to head back into the recesses of Anvil Gate. He wasn't the only one who had come to see someone off, Bernadette had stood outside as well already but had said her words to Hoffman sometime ago. No, she was watching something more interesting unfolding in front of her and didn't even need sound to understand. Bernie wore smile and shined it on Baird as he came to face her. He knew she had seen everything. Nosey old bitch.


	4. Chapter 4

[ I didn't expect another chapter so soon, but here it is. Is the beginning smut for smut's sake or something more? ;) Hmmm. Anya really wanted to come out so her and Sam needed some girl time on top of everything. May contain some spelling and grammar areas, only proof read a couple times. Enjoy! ]

"Don't walk away from me Private," he growled under his breath as he kept just a pace or two behind her. She did just that and he followed until they were around the corner of the broken pavilion and away from the others. Baird grabbed Samantha's shoulder causing her to whirl around sharply, knocking his hand away. Her eyes were still narrowed and steely, sizing him up and speaking volumes without words. Yeah, she was still mad at him for what he'd said and apologies had no obvious affect so fuck it, the impossible had already happened once today. No reason lightning couldn't strike twice.

Baird again reached for her, slow enough that she had plenty of time to raise her own hands defensively. Again she tried to push his away, but he had tricked her and was able to grab both her wrists in his larger grasp. Immediately she wretched all her strength against him, but he was just stronger.

"Let me go Baird, before I rip your bloody sack off like a piece of tissue paper." Sam snarled.

He was able to move both of her wrists to just one hand, and kept her arms held suspended above her head. Hell, he even lifted them higher so that she was forced to stand on her toes. It almost made her eye level with him. They had time now and he took his, studying the features of her exotic face. Her lips were parted with ragged breaths, cracked and dry before she wet them with her dark pink tongue much to his visual pleasure. Sam's cheeks were scuffed and dirty, the bandage on her right side laying half peeled off and her eyes were two boiling cauldrons before his own. The anger radiating off her was palpable.

"You never shut up do you?" Mocked Baird. He had control of her movements now and forced her to take several steps back. It was that or either let him take several steps towards her and the second wasn't really an option for her. This shit wasn't raising Sam's opinion of him much.

"Not when I'm talking to an idiot," she retorted. It seemed like his words were unforgivable, and Sam didn't want to have to be reminded of them every time she saw him. "Besides, I'd really like to see you make me Damon."

Magic words. He still had the free hand she had forgotten about and he wrapped it around her back and put a hand behind her head. This way she couldn't turn away. At first she fought it, his mouth against hers, his hand squeezing her neck and the surge of adrenaline that they both caused to shoot through her veins. Every hair seemed to be standing on end and her skin was electric, his touch was incredible. He nibbled on her jaw line with the slightest brush of a wet tongue and Sam felt her knees buckle, luckily he was still holding her tight.

"Oh shit," she cursed herself and made it all the easier for Baird to slip aforementioned tongue just against the roof of her mouth.

The hand that was once aggressively holding her by the neck was now massaging softly, squeezing the mass of her muscles into his palm much to her pleasure. Ever so slowly her arms had been going slack no longer fighting Baird's hold upon them. He was hesitant to let the grip he had on Sam loosen, but this was quickly becoming a two hand job for and she seemed to have been sufficiently subdued. _Huh, broads. Act like you're going to sweep them off their feet and -_

Samantha was finally able to free her hands and while Baird's were still up in the air. She grabbed him by the utility belt and swing him around into the wall that was several feet behind herself. He hit it with a hollow 'oomph!' and barely caught himself, back against the crumbling brick structure. It was a sudden case of déjà vu when he found her their against him, her right leg hooked around his at the knee incase he got any ideas and her hands to his chest. Sometimes he really made her fucking bonkers, hair ripping, wall punchingly so because he had no boundaries, it didn't matter if it was appropriate or not if Baird disagreed with it. He was a bold and self assured man and she wanted to test that under the most tenuous of situations. She knew where the release latches for his armor were and had a much easier time undoing them than he did, from there on Sam could move her hands under it, palms flat, her fingers curled just slightly so that her nails would scrape over his undergarment clad chest. One catching his nipple aggressively was enough to make him hiss. The leg that been wrapped under his as a safety measure now came up and around his hip. Baird wrapped one hand under it and pulled her in closer.

"What do you have to say for yourself now?" He asked since she was all over him.

"I didn't think you were interested in what I had to say." Samantha replied, centimeters from his lips, breath on his face.

"You're absolutely right. I've always thought your mouth had a better use," snickered Baird. "But I want to hear you say something first..."

His trail started at her neck a second time. Lips just under her chin he started kissing their way over her throat, to her collar bone he rubbed his nose against lightly. Her breast plate armor was in the way and he was forced to skip it moving along to right to her stomach. Her own cloth under armor was torn revealing the skin just right to her belly button and he ripped it further to expose the rest of her abdomen. The tip of his tongue started underneath the breast bone of her rib cage and moved down, nipping snarling and smooching til he was above her pant line. Just there her stomach had the slightest of pouches, just enough he could suck the skin into her mouth as the tip of his nose nudged her belly button. The hand that had been under her legs moved it up onto is shoulder without any resistance and he started stroking the inside crease of her thigh with his thumb causing her to shudder.

"O-Ooh, Damon you bastard," Sam breathily cried.

That was what he wanted to hear. It made him inhale sharply and he could smell her, everything about her. From the smell of sweat, dirt, gun powder and the fact she wanted him. God that was hard to resist and Baird sunk his teeth a little deeper into her stomach, causing her to gasp and squeeze that lifted thigh against his head. This had to stop and regretfully he removed his mouth from Sam's flesh, feeling the suction of his lips break away. He looked up at her for the first time since they'd started this and tried not to say anything stupid. She was fucking gorgeous. Those eyes were tamed now under thick lashes and well shaped brow. Jaw slack to accommodate a few last pants of breaths she was leaning forward with hands on his shoulder and head so that her hair fell to frame her face too. The others weren't far away, their voices weren't faint but he didn't care. Her armor was loose enough that Baird could slip his thumb between it and her body beneath and he ran his thumb further along the seam of her tights, along her slit. Sam tried not to react now that he was looking her in the eye, but his thumb went from stroking with the flat face to bent and on it's tip, changing the distribution of weight and her lips tightened. He slid it back up along that seam, slowing when he thought he saw her face react to just the right spot. Her thighs squeezed again, yeah that was it, her cringing eyes said so too.

"Sam," he whispered her name into her own stomach, lips brushing against her abs, tongue circling her belly button oh so softly before dipping in. He flicked his thumb quickly and she started to get heavier on his shoulder.

"Baird! Fuck! Oooh .. Aah." Her nails were scraping his scalp and she started to push back. "We've gotta stop, save it for later.."

* * *

><p><em>Piece of shit<em>, Sam thought to herself while she mashed at the communication device on her wrist. It figures, most of their equipment was second hand and up kept by their few remaining mechanics which included everyone's favorite asshole. _Baird. _They should have been able to make contact, they weren't that deep underground but the screen was blank and partially discolored from water damage as well. Her smudged finger tips kept tapping it relentlessly, as she became more and more enraged with it by the second. Finally she just hit it with a flat palm and said out loud.

"Piece of shit!"

Anya who had been at her side and also leading point with her looked over brow raised. Such out bursts weren't the Private's style but had become more frequent. The Lt. observed out loud, "I think you have some anger issues Sammy. You need to find a creative way to release some of that tension before you explode and do something rash."

Okay, now Sam was intrigued and it was clear on her face. She tried to keep her pace even and asked. "What do you mean Anya? Just how do you think I should be releasing all this tension?"

"You know," she checked behind them, the men were a good 8 yards or so behind. Afterwards, eyes back to the dark skinned woman Anya tried to make a sultry face. "You _know._"

"Stroud you slut!" Sam gasped as softly as she could, but the only other female of Delta still started to laugh. It echoed in the hangar and Sam could feel the eyes behind them. She heard Jace's voice saying something about 'girl talk' and refused the urge to turn around.

"Oh shut up Samantha, you're no prude. Go hop on Baird and get it over with, I'm so tired of listening to you two argue." The Lieutenant had no problem continuing on, even if Byrne was going to act like hearing such advise was an affront to her delicate senses. Yeah right. "Stop giving me that look! Don't you realize how much you smile around him? You want him Sam."

"Yeah, only because I'm tearing him down. He's a completely over confident arrogant asshole."

"Try tearing down his clothes for a change. Baird gets to you, admit it. I'm not going to tell anyone Sam."

She said nothing and lowered her eyes having always known this not in her head but square in the middle between her bellybutton and breastbone. Thinking about it and him forced her to swallow hard. Composed but oh so happy she was right Anya moved close to Sam, almost bumping shoulders so she could chuckle.

"I knew it. It's okay. It does make you the slut though."

This time Sam laughed and purposefully bumped into her friend.

"So if he does? That definitely doesn't make him relationship material Anya. Don't project your deal on me" It was apparent now what a low blow that seemed to be and she was quick to apologize, pace slowing. "That was a dick thing to say hun, my apologies. You're the last person I should take it out on."

"I know it's not personal, it's your starved vagina talking so go fill it! I heard through the grapevine that Baird stacks up too I mean he showers with Jace and Cole right?"

Alright, Sam couldn't hold it any longer she laughed too finally giving in. Fuck she loved Anya. The woman was just as real as she was, but much more quiet about it. That was how she had gotten so far, Sam just took the other road, loud and brash. Which explained why she hadn't gotten as far down it just yet. Still they were all they had when it came to gender alliance and it wasn't that hard for them to get along. These sorts of things were shared with each other because ... fuck, who else could they say it to, the boys? Just the same they both understood what it was like to get shit for being women in the COG from their brothers too. They had the important things in common.

"May be I can put a paper bag over his face if what you say is true." Sam pondered devilishly.

While they walked and snickered they were glad to have one another, something to grasp onto in the eye of this shit storm when they could. The men had started to trail even further behind, they were intent on finding supplies and the women wanted to go. Sam was the first to notice this, as well as the movement of ahead of them, she stopped and put a hand against Anya's chest keeping her from moving any farther too. Then a finger to her own lips indicating the need for silence. Up ahead, a single Queen's Guard. They were deep in the shit though and he could have been a scout, there could have been an alarm near by, there were just too many variables. Anya was lifting her pistol when Sam shook her head.

"No, let's make this silent. This place is uncharted Anya, wait here." She lowered her lancer and foolishly left it behind. The Lieutenant thought this was stupid and wanted to chastise her but Sam had already taken off, so light on foot she was able to slide behind boxes one to another and another unnoticed and waited her turn with baited breath. The guard carried a vintage Lancer, Sam, just a pistol and some grenades neither of which she planned on using. It stopped and finally turned his back to her so she could make her move. The private darted out a large knife of her own in hand and came up behind him, one hand over his ugly face to blind him the other jammed the knife up under his jaw. Most of the flailing stopped but as if that wasn't enough she turned him around and rammed the bayonet on the guards own gun into his gut so he would fall further on it on the way down. A bit of blood from his gargling mouth splattered on Sam's face but she didn't seem to notice. The coast was clear with minimal sound made, it was impressive but over the top and Anya's rolling eyes conveyed as much.

"Oh yeah Samantha, you don't have any anger issues at all. I'm telling you, go get laid and you'll feel better." She said, licking her thumb and starting to wipe the blood of Sam's face.

The men must have worried about the girls having been by themselves because they came bursting in at mid-trot. Seeing the two ladies merely standing there both Marcus and Jace stopped and observed the scene.

"So, uh…everything you okay?" Asked Jace.

"Oh you know how us girls are" said Sam. "Just got caught up chatting away."

"Yeah, what about?" Grunted their Sergeant.

The dying locust grub behind Sam continued to choke on it's own blood loudly, somehow still holding onto the last bits of life. She stomped on the base of it's skull, putting it out of it's miserly. "_Boys._"


	5. Chapter 5

[ Hopefully I don't burn myself out with all this too soon but I had an idea too good to just keep in my head all to myself! I'm not sure if the timeline is accurate for Hoffman to be Sam's instructor but I decided to fudge it.

Shout outs: BlackFl0wer. She has her own wonderful Sam/Baird story I suggest reading if anyone hasn't.

JadziaCee. Thanks for the help as always! I hope you enjoy this next installment.

Olivia, SpartanGoddess and Jedi thanks as well. It wouldn't be nearly as fun to write this if no one read it. ]

The sky was a cool blue above her and the sun in it so bright it flared around the edges in her vision, appearing like a bright burning snowflake. It was quiet for a moment in time and she remembered laying outside with her mother as a child, who would stroke her forehead and hair as she peacefully drifted in and out of sleep. This was not then, her mother was far far away and their was nothing peaceful to be found in this situation. When the breath returned to her windless gasping lungs the pain of her ankle became all the more glaring as well. Sam screamed and grabbed at it having to sit up to do so, her back now caked with sand and dirt from where she'd fallen. No, where she'd been **pushed. **The final week of boot camp was coming to an end, it was Hell Week and the last obstacle cross the cadets would have to complete before coming official COGs. Samantha was five or six feet off the ground on the vertical wall of chain ropes when her fellow cadet Ben McMillen came scaling it at break neck speed beside her. He was the biggest piece of shit she'd ever had the priveledge of being forced to interact with and he made it known just how he felt about her too. He deplored the idea of female Gears and made sure she was always within ear shot when he voiced his opinions. Sam was less passive aggressive and simply told him to his face that she hoped his rifle jammed in battle. At that moment she tried to ignore him though, the task at hand far more important that some trust fund asshole. She had the wall to finish, hanging bars to cross, a low bar to hurdle and then finally a rope to the final platform and three minutes left. It was in the bag.

"What, did they give you a head start?" Ben lashed out, moving past her.

The chains were four feet apart up and down and side to side, not an easy task to just simply climb up so taking a little bit of time was advisable of all things. But Sam was still young and foolish, prideful and with something to prove so she easily regained her spot in first. Four or so feet left. She couldn't resist replying either.

"Please Ben, the only way you'll finish this track before me is if I break a leg."

Reaching for the next chain rung, she was extended onto the toes of a single boot, her other lifted and right hand holding onto a vertical chain for support. Ben smirked, held on tight and kicked the chain out from under only supportive foot. After that all she remembered was the fall, and catching her ankle on another rung on the way down which was where she'd received the injury, however bad it was. Her eyes burned, starting to water and Sam screamed again now holding her ankle out of both pain and frustration. In her blurry peripherals she could see some of the medical staff approaching along with her superior officer. A couple of other cadets who had been trailing her caught up and passed, ahead on the hanging bars she could see McMillen. A balled fist hit the sand she sat on and she didn't cry, but she wanted to. She wanted her mom.

"Are you okay?" The lankiest medic asked as he was the first to approach, all hop to and excited about his job. Why wouldn't he be? Samantha was a pretty girl, but she wasn't in the mood to be admired.

"Step back Private," Hoffman ordered as he came to the edge of the course. "She's finishing this. Get up."

Her wet eyes looked to him like he was an alien. The gaze he returned didn't take away from such an argument either, his eyes were black and colorless beneath the shade of the military cap and his face gave way to no human emotion. "Finish this track on time or you fucking leave! Does that insentivise you at all Byrne?"

Hell yes it did. She nodded and tried to throw herself back on her feet. Her ankle didn't hold and she was back on her ass, crying out again. "FUCK! I can't! Oh God, it fucking hurts…"

"It's not a fucking option! If you can't survive a god damn sprained ankle Byrne then walk now!" Hoffman yelled, standing over the young Gear. "You want a god damn bandage? Make one!"

He knew how bad she wanted this. Fuck, this was the only thing she wanted and it seemed the whole time she tried to just survive boot camp he was there to undercut her, just like everyone else. Samantha could have sworn she never hated someone so much as she stared back at him that moment, wanting to spit and scream. Her answer to this situation was none of those, but a unique one instead. "I WILL!"

Fuck modesty and what the others would think Sam told herself as she peeled the short sleeved navy green t-shirt off over her head, still covered by a sports bra beneath. That was the easy part. Her ankle was still throbbing and every bump and jostle as she removed her boot and its laces made her bite down on her tongue just to feel a better sort of pain. She ripped the shirt into shreds as evenly as possible and used the longest piece to wrap her foot and joint that had started to swell cartoonishly. After tying the cloth as he could bare, her shoelace was applied as secondary precaution to keep her wrap in place. The process took more time than she expected with her sandy fingers. This was it, hands and her good foot placed thoughtfully Sam threw her weight forward and was able to get to her feet though she held onto the chains of the wall she would again have to climb. It seemed taller this time.

"Don't just stare at it! Climb it you cripple!" Encouraged her superior.

Why her? Sam asked, tired arms pulling her up the first row so she could get her boot up, other leg almost useless except for the when she could get her knee on a rung. Before what had been a test of her lower body strength and dexterity was now mostly on her shoulders and arms that had already been put to their limits . She still wanted to cry, it hurt so bad. She hooked the hanging horizontal chains under her armpits, elbows folded so she could push herself up once more. This process was repeated several times until she was just another yard or two to the top. All she could do now was hold on. No, this couldn't end yet. Fuck it, she started to cry. Silently of course but big fat tears came streaming down her cheeks, leaving clear paths through the grime where they fell. There was a voice in her head she wasn't even sure was hers but it was yelling, _Time is running out! Go before Hoffmann discharges you for failing.. _Going down was even harder than climbing up, Hoffman wouldn't care if she complained though. Sam lowered herself down the other side halfway and then dropped to the ground, landing on her side. It would save a few seconds she told herself as she started to crawl towards the hanging bars. The sun was beating down from dead above on her exposed and tattooed skin. Stomach, arms and back were all caked in sweat and sand now as she pulled herself through it, Just a little further. She could taste the dirt in her mouth and spit, but absolutely nothing came out.

"A minute forty-five! MOVE!"

"UGHA!" It wasn't a word, just a sound that came erupting out as she took a short leap onto the first hanging bar, shoulders burning again under her weight. A similar sound came out each time she swung forward and prayed her sweaty palms wouldn't slip. With perfected timing and the momentum she gathered Samantha made quick work of the obstacle and came to confront the next. The hanging bar's end platform lead down a gradually sloping hill to the hurdle below. The slope wasn't enough to get a good start, not like she could have if she wanted. Her chest was heaving and she leaned against a wooden post, her right ankle still lifted protectively from the ground. _Just fuckin do it! You're almost done, just go! _The voice inside her head, her best friend and worst enemy kept yelling and so she did.

Left foot planted solid, everything good so far she went to her right confident it could hold for one or two steps. Oh how pride made a fool of all however and it gave in. She hit her knee hard on a rock and hissed. _GET UP! _

_I'm trying! Please…_

_I don't give a fuck Byrne! Get up or I'll break your other ankle when we're done!_

_It hurts so bad! I want my mom!_

"_BYRNE!"_

Fuck, Hoffman was still there ever at her side, ever yelling. Sam looked up, her tears dry and gone. She just had disappointment to feel now, she was going to fail.

"The COG invests thousands of dollars to train our cadets and I will be fucked by Prescott before I let you waste that God damn money! NOW GET UP AND EARN YOUR LAST NAME, CADET!" He screamed it in her face and she didn't even flinch when some spit caught her on the cheek. For the past eight weeks he'd been yelling at her, today she thought she could stop caring and then he had to go and say something like that.

"Excuse me?" Sam asked. "My name?"

"Byrne! Do you think your father sat down and gave up three yards from the fucking finish?" Challenged her Drill Sergeant, his voice bubbling with disgust.

Her stomach turned to ice water and she growled, pushing herself to her knees. "Don't talk about my Dad…"

"Don't disgrace his name then and GET UP!"

Fuck Hoffman, fuck McMillen, fuck the voice in her head. All she had was a name, that was all she ever had. Good leg first, now your other. SHIT! The hurdle had to be four and a half feet tall itself and she still wasn't sure how she would do it, but she would. This time she took her first step on her bad ankle, she cried but it held and she pushed off, onto her good foot that held so she could jump forward. Again, like the other obstacles she cleared it by landing on her side. This was not the way she had pictured her final PT exam to go. From chest, to hands and then elbows and knees she would finish. Just the final rope now. Ten feet maybe.

"Sam Byrne move your ass!"

She grabbed it and pulled up. Her thighs squeezed the length that fell between them, the coarse fibers cutting her everywhere they could but the pain had been going on for so long now her nerves began to quiet and dull. Her muscles that screamed went cold and she could finish the course, pulling herself to the last tower where those who had already finished stood, puked and congratulated one another. What must they have thought of her now? The girl who had to crawl the last eighth of the track, what a joke. Fuck them. She pushed herself into a corner, eyes beginning to close.

Someone offered her a hand. Hoffman. When she didn't receive it he didn't recall the offer. He just took away her option. "Take my hand Private Byrne, congratulations."

Private Samantha Byrne, for seventeen years she'd dreamed of hearing those words and just like that now she had. They would be embroidered on uniforms and engraved on her COG tags. She took his hand, back now on the one good foot. Hoffman, though still shaded under the brim of his hat was smiling. Now she really wanted to cry.

"You…you knew my dad?" Sam asked, wiping at her eyes. Hoffman seemed like a different man now, helping keep her on balance with a hand between her shoulders.

"I did Sam. You would have made him proud." He said. "You made me proud."


	6. Chapter 6

[ Oooh, this is a long chapter. :D I hope everyone enjoys. Please review if you like, or don't. Always down for improvement. Other than that… not much to say, but I might need someone to help fill me in on some of the GOW universe since I haven't read the books/comics. Any takers?

Oh and you guys will love the clock story later.]

"Tell me your location Sam!" Marcus yelled into the receiver as the rig bounced and jerked mercilessly over toiled dirt and misleadingly deep pot holes. He almost dropped it several times since he and the remainder of Delta Squad sans cavalry had taken off upon receiving the distress call. The only response he would get for several more minutes was static until they cleared the tunnel and reception returned. From the other end they heard war, literally. Screams and explosions, artillery fire and commands to fall back filled the cab Marcus, Baird, Anya and Jace had forced themselves in. Not unfamiliar sounds to any of the soldiers they all exchanged the same knowing looks.

"_Situation is FUCKED Marcus!" Samantha Byrne's voice yelled. "We're going to have to fall back. We didn't expect their insurgency to be so big, twelve-hundred maybe from what I can see. How did they …GET DOWN!"_

Baird could feel the iceberg in his belly shifting as he gripped the edges of the e-notebook pinned to his thighs, desperately trying to pin point Byrne's location. They'd had no luck getting a fix on anyone since leaving the base, whatever signal jam the insurgence had put in place had them completely locked out. It was nothing he'd ever seen the locusts use before.

"I repeat Soldier, where are you?" Marcus yelled again, forcing the APC over a downed and dead tree that caught and scraped against the undercarriage for the next half a mile.

"_I don't know! Close to the city's center, but I said you need to fall back! I'll find a street sign or something when we relocate, right now we-"_

*_Tsssssssssshhhhhhhhhh!*_

"FUCK!" Fenix threw the radio's receiver at the windshield and stomped his foot causing the vehicle to surge forward, it's human contents shifting in their seats and nearly out of them.

That stupid girl. She'd taken off with Carmine and Alpha-1 members to sweep a city for supplies somehow unaware it had been overrun with the stranded during the last months between their visits. The stranded drew in a bigger baddie though and the Locusts had an easy time taking over the town that had already been cleaned up for them by their human prey. The Gears had no idea what was waiting for them when they arrived about an hour or so after heading out and sent their distress signal not too long after.

Baird had been uncharacteristically silent for the past thirty minutes or so and they knew why. He'd been so focused on the lit screen in front of him, sorting through codes and signals his mind had switched over to auto-pilot. Eyes glassy and bloodshot they finally looked up when the radio came back to life. Eventually they all would as well.

"_RUNRUNRUN! GET THEM IN THE BUILDING, CARMINE!"_

Their was the sound of another explosion, silence as the radio signal was lost for a second and they all held onto bated breath. Again, another explosion. The radio came back on.

"_Fenix? Fenix, can you hear me?"_

"Yeah Sammy, I got you," said Marcus softly. Her own tone told him everything they needed to know about her situation. "We're almost there, we've got six other squads with us. I need you to hold on okay! Where are you?"

"_I-I don't know…everything's blown to shit! It's so smoky. I'm sorry … I lost Carmine…"_

The silence hit them again. Baird had stopped looking at the notebook and stared helplessly at the CB radio's receiver, unable to effect anything on the other side from where he was. Oh fuck, Sam. His Sam. Marcus smacked him out of it.

"BAIRD! Where the fuck is she? Why don't you have a location already?"

"I don't know! I'm trying! I can't get a lock on anything in that place, they have a jammer up." Fuckin hold it together Baird. Teeth clenched. "Just get us to the fucking city…"

They were cresting a hill as he spoke and as they reached the horizon they could see their destination in the distance. Smoke billowed from the few buildings still standing and the firefights they'd heard over the radio were now carried on the wind. The explosions just looked like fireworks from their vantage point, on the ground it was a different story. Sam was crouched behind a burnt out car, eyes and throat stinging of smoke and soot and her rifle running low. From what she could see, she was the last one left. There was the convoy Marcus was bringing with them, but it wouldn't be enough, not six squads. Maybe sixty.

"_FENIX! Tell the men to turn back! You can't enter the city, it's a trap."_

That was it, Baird snatched the receiver from Marcus. "God damn it Samantha, just get out of there!"

"_Damon?"_

He felt his throat tighten. "Y-yeah Sam, it's me. Everything is jammed, we can't get a fix on you or Alpha. Can you find somewhere to hold out?"

She wanted to reply, her end of the speaker was held down still but she said nothing. Then finally, _"Baird…this city is coming down. The locusts will find me soon and well…you know what they'll do."_

Something on his notebook beeped and he grabbed it from between his thighs. The jammer keeping him out of the network had gone down. It must have been from the latest explosion they saw. "No, no they're not Sammy. I took down their firewall, it won't be long I just-"

"_Baird you idiot…"_

It made sense why it took so long to crack. It was their own, Baird had never even thought about trying to undo a COG signal. Granted it had been greatly modified but the basics still seemed to be all theirs. But then that meant…

"_I jammed the signal. Tell the men to turn back."_

"SAM YOU FUCKING IDIOT, DON'T!"

The image on his screen told the story pretty well. She was a tiny red dot moving towards the center of the city, encircled on all sides by an ever growing blue blob. That blob was thousands of tiny blue dots swarming and surging forward.

"_Agh! Ah., ah…fuck, oh fuck." Sam screamed suddenly in agony but tried to recover. Her voice was still lowered, and she was painfully out of breath. "That hurt. I got tagged by one of the bloody assholes. Just my shoulder…Damon?"_

Baird was trying to think this through and see the end but he couldn't. Stupid fucking girl. He panicked because he knew he could never change Sam's mind once it was made up. The tears were starting to come and he glanced back to the screen. They couldn't have been more than ten minutes away but it wasn't enough time. The dark blue around Sam seemed to have gotten larger and encompassed most of the city now. Her tiny little dot had stopped in the center.

He let out a deep breath to right himself and replied, "Yeah Sammy?"

"_I'm sorry for just about…everything. "_

"Shut up, we're almost there. Just…just fucking hold on alright!"

Maybe he could speak to her ego. An alert message popped up in another window. _Light Mass Bomb 2-0 Charging…_

"Sam, no… We can still reach you!"

"_No you can't baby. They're here now."_

Over the radio came horrific shrieks of unnatural creatures followed by a minute of steady unwavering automatic fire, Sam's voice indistinguishable over it. Then six loud pops of a pistol. She had spent her last ammo. Baird looked up to the city through the windshield, they were close. Marcus was trying not to look back to him, foot never having left the gas since they started practically. Baird threw the notebook by his feet. _Light Mass Bomb 2-0, 89%…90%… _He wanted to yell at her, tell her how stupid and selfish she was and that she couldn't leave him, not now. It wasn't fair what she was doing to him.

"Hey Sammy," he called to her, trying to smile. "Remember what Cole told you about the clock I had in grade school?"

"_Yeah."_

"It was true."

_Light Mass 2-0 Functional - Starting Charge_

"Please don't do this Samantha…Just …just run. Just hide."

"_Damon, you know I can't do that." _She was crying on her end now_. "I have a name to live up to, you know?"_

The city had already brought dawn to the night as it burned in the darkness, but he could see the glow change. It was charging, growing…consuming.

"_Oh Damon…God baby, …it's so beautiful…"_

_*Kscccchhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!KRAKKRAKSSHHH*_

* * *

><p>With heavy lids, a cloudy mind and fading motor skills Baird knew he needed some sleep. He'd actually already tried that option and didn't find it so rewarding. It was why his forehead bore a large rectangular bruise where he'd hit his head on the bunk above him when waking tonight from a frightful sleep. He should have been having another filthy dream about Private Byrne which while he didn't feel good about, were better than the first dreams he'd had regularly to rob him of his sleep, and that one just now. The time he'd been captured wasn't something he'd talked about to anyone but Cole but it haunted him nightly for months, so his time in the shop and on projects almost doubled after his rescue. At least when he fantasized about Sam, awake or asleep he just felt like a filthy pervert, but an aroused and rested one. Now his dreams of her were turning dark as well. What did any of this shit mean? Cole wasn't around tonight to talk to even if he wanted, so he had gone back to the garage to assist on the small remaining fleet of vehicles the COG had left behind as they were deemed in disrepair. At least there was something he could fix. There might have been something else too, JACK was tucked under his arm and along for the ride. Even if he didn't find a good power source for his creation yet he wouldn't be completely alone while he worked.<p>

The only thing in his life he could count on for sure didn't fail. As soon as he slid a pair of work gloves on the haunting screams he couldn't forget up until then started to fade and the hairs on the back of his neck settled. It had been chilly in the small efficiency room he'd secured for the night but the garage was warm, he could take off his thermal there. The clatter of a tool box might have as well been wind chimes to his ears and he popped the hood on an APC Vehicle. A hard case of déjà vu struck the mechanic, it was the same vehicle they'd been racing to Sam in, just moments ago. He shook the thought and focused on the metal. 'In disrepair' was speaking rather courteously.

"What a piece of shit," Baird remarked but remained unsurprised. At least it was something that would keep him busy til he gave up on it. Damn near every screw and bolt in it was stripped, his wrench slipped on them more than once so that by the end of it his knuckles were busted and freshly scabbed. There was a lot of cursing and by the time he finally lost his temperature, kicking the fender with outrage things started looking up. The first screw loosened, having no choice but to give way under the total force of his sheer masculine strength, so Baird told himself as he wiped his greasy hands on his wife beater.

"See sweety, eventually they all give in to me. No reason to fight so much now, right?" He chuckled, obviously pleased with his success.

There was a lot to be done with the vehicle but he'd gotten past the hardest part. Everything beneath the hood was protected from sabotage and enemy salvage by multiple steel frames put into place over them. Obviously they could be removed, they were just completely annoying and time consuming. What he would give for something cold to drink, like in the days he could work on vehicles for fun. Hah, fun. That was an interesting idea now. Oh he found it alright it just had a completely new definition for the man these days. This victory was certainly worthy of a break at the very least so he set down his wrench and walked away from under the hood, stretching out his sore lower back on the way. He couldn't escape the sad unlit eyes of JACK staring at him though and he frowned.

"Don't give me that look, I'm doing what I can buddy. I don't know if you've noticed but we're fighting for our very existence now, I'm not ignoring you." Baird spoke to the inatimate object as he took a seat beside it on the work bench, thumb and forefinger wrapped around his chin as he pondered sleep deprived ideas. "Hmm, that's not the worst thing we could do, but without a power cell you're still just my favorite paper weight."

It struck him how quiet the city could be still. Soon after the siege, shells and mortyr fire somehow everything went back to normal and people still slept, not him of course. The others were gone and he worried of course for their safety, his dreams let him watch dark horrid fantasies of their demise he would be too far away to counter should they come true. No, sleep was definitely for the civvies because a COGs work was never done.

"I think you have a better relationship with that thing than any person I've seen you meet. Is that it? You just need someone who won't talk back."

Of course he was ready to turn around and say something scathing to just whoever thought it was okay to stand around and observe someone without the least bit of warning, but had to stop. Bernie stood at the shop's bay doors where she had watched and decided whether or not to intervene for a moment or so. The mechanic stuffed his tongue in his cheek and waved her on in, loathing whatever conversation they were about to have.

"How about someone that just won't talk," he said.

"Mmm, well I'm afraid I can't be that certain someone then," the older woman chided him as she came further into the light where it only pooled in the center of the garage for work to be done. "Can't sleep?"

"Oh no, I actually did all the sleeping for my life about a year ago this way I just don't need to anymore," he answered. "Figured I'd do something than just sit around with my thumb up my ass. You mind?"

Her face was always warm and gentle but the woman was a battle axe underneath which Baird was no stranger to. All the mindless insults and complaints would always bounce off because coming from him she knew they were harmless protective jabs. Still she frowned a bit that caused her forehead to wrinkle.

"I do since you're in my garage." She was right. "It's okay to be worried about your friends, you know? I am. I tried to get Hoffman to stay and send the younger men out but he wouldn't listen, so off he went before the embers had even finished burning here. I know he'll be safe but I don't think I'll stop worrying til he's back by morning."

"He's got Cole with him, I can tell you right now that they're fine."

He'd come here to escape all these sorts of thoughts but Bernadette just had to bring them in with her on rolling baggage wheels. With his molars gritting again he went back to the vehicle, hiding under its hood and picking up where he'd left off. The cool metal of the wrench in his hand was soothing and helped him pretend that he was feeling fine, really.

"So why aren't **you** sleeping?"

The wrench slipped out of his hand and clattered against the cement floor because of her prying. His middle knuckle caught on a bolt busting it's wound back open and Baird let out a hiss of pain, shaking the hand in question afterwards to ease the ache. The older woman took an oil stained rag from a tool box open contents and offered it so he could keep the blood from going everywhere.

"I have this problem with nosey women who keep asking questions. It's gotten hard to rest with all the nagging filling up my ears."

"Are you just going to avoid every question I ask Damon Baird? Or do you think for one second you could realize I'm asking because I care?" The battle axe re-emerged, her tone reminiscent off Hoffman's almost.

"I just had a bad dream. You know the shit; faces of the dead, endless wars, watching your brothers die in battle. Is that okay?"

"I don't know, are you?"

This was getting ridiculous and he threw the rag she'd given him across the room into a dark corner with frustration. It seemed like the only business people were interested anymore was his own and he wasn't even interested in it now. His overreaction had Bernie nodding to herself, having gotten a clearer answer than she had at first expected. Baird sighed heavily and asked himself the question seriously for once.

"No, I mean I don't know, but no one is. Look at your god damn city. Are you going to tell me you're okay?"

"Of course not Damon," she laughed. "But I know I'm not."

He stayed silent, knowing what she wanted him to say but unwilling to admit to the defeat of truth. The way she looked at him reminded him of the same gaze Sam got when she caught on to the fact he was bullshitting her over something. Fuck, he hated that gaze and threw Bernadette a bone to make it stop.

"I'm fine Bernie. I've still got ten fingers and all my limbs, I'm exceptionally handsome and until otherwise I'm the best company this God forsaken city has. People who are hurt, lost someone or saw their city burn, they're the ones who aren't okay." Baird said, trying to sound as casual and caring as possible. He thought of Sam again, this time the other night where she'd turned to him of all people for a moment of comfort. What was it with the women of Anvil Gate?

"I suppose," Bernadette sighed and decided to drop the issue here shortly, but first something else about the man that had been bothering her needed to be addressed. "Anyone in particular you think isn't so okay?"

"Damn it Bernie!" He should have known it and kicked himself for not just cutting to this first of all. "Fuck, Sam, okay?"

She started laughing, which wasn't the response he'd wanted. Soon Bernie composed herself to go on, "Do you think for a second when something happens in this city I don't know? You can only stare at Byrne for so long before everyone just fills in their own details." The younger man was grumbling something to himself and wringing his hands while Bernie spoke. She wasn't very far off though he had a hard time keeping his eyes off of Samantha, even if they were going to be the last two people to realize it. "She'll be fine Damon, she's a tough girl. All Anvegad women are."

"Yeah, they're all pains in the ass too," he couldn't help but quip while suppressing a smile. Bernie smacked his arm, but soon after wrapped her thin hand around a portion of his bicep. It was a rare moment Baird didn't bawk at human contact.

"Walk a lady back to her quarters, Corporal?"

His hand over hers Baird had already began to walk with her per her request. However, she had left herself completely open.

"I would love to Bernie. Just show me where I can find one around here."


	7. Chapter 7

[ Hey hey hey, the weekly installment is here! I certainly wanted to get one chapter up, but there's a lot more waiting and some may make it here tomorrow if we're lucky! Please read and review, silent subscribers make me sad!]

_Sovereign / Pre-Destruction_

"No way," Carmine bit into his sandwich and then proceeded to shake his head in denial. With a mouthful of food he continued. Questioning, "Why would you even think that bro?"

Jace set down his own lunch, which left much to be desired, as it somehow might hinder his explanation. He went on to begin. "Well first of all look at them."

The 'them' in question just happened to be Baird and Sam who were standing in the lunch line next to one another having a discussion over something. From such a distance away neither man could make out a clear expression on either of the Gears' faces. It hadn't come to blows yet though, which was always a good sign between those too. Clay swallowed his masticated wad of food finally, not seeing the big deal.

"They're talking." He stated the obvious.

"Exactly. But it's going well, they're both engaged so they're not paying attention to what they're doing subconsciously. No matter what a person saying their body doesn't lie." Jace explained all-knowingly.

It was surprising to Clay to hear something almost profound come from a Gear, so he paused to put in a comment, "Woah, that's getting pretty deep for a Delta grunt. You feelin okay?"

"Please man, a clogged bathtub drain is deep too you. Just be quiet and let me explain," Jace leaned forward onto the table with one elbow prompting the other man to do the same so they could both stare past rows of bobbing, chowing heads of their fellow shipmates. "Look at her hips. She has the one facing him raised and uses that hand to talk, the other hand on her hip away from him."

Giving his fellow soldier a quick side long glance, Carmine played along, "Uh yeah I guess so. So?"

"Physically, she's open to him.. It means she receptive to what he has to say but if you ask me it just looks like flirting. I mean why is she even standing like that? It's not natural, she's in a line walking every several seconds but she stops to look good." Pointing out some of these finer details Jace found himself noticing new ones too.

"Well sheee-iit!" Carmine laughed. "You might be right about that, but Sam and Baird? No way, you know he can't stand her either."

Jace used his plastic fork to address their other subject but not before shoveling in a few bites of instant potatoes. "That's bluster. Hell do I really need to point this out for you to see it? He's flexing first of all and not blatantly in the 'look at THESE guns' way, he's just flexing to look bigger. Plus Baird always, and I mean always has his arms crossed like he's throwing a tantrum, but now…"

Still at Sam's side Damon Baird was going off about something he was quite enthusiastic about. They both slid their trays down the metal serving line in time with those before and after them but didn't ever stop from talking. Baird gestured widely with his arms now almost smacking another Gear in line with his elbow. Afterwards he ran a hand through his hair and set it to his hip. Sam was…laughing?

"Oh wow. Oh WOW, Jace. Jace…WOW!" Carmine tried to contain his composure but wasn't very far from just continuing to stare on slack jawed across the hall at the two.

"I know, it's been like fifteen minutes since he's crossed his arms. Something's up with them." Knowing he wasn't going to get to the bottom of this mystery today, the younger Gear seemed content to just go back to lunch. Carmine, not so much. He wiggled his feet under the table and kept staring.

"So what does it mean?"

Jace raised a brow. "Are you serious?"

*_Ka-klaaangk! Klink klink klink!* _

Baird had gone on to slap Sam's silverware from her hand when she reached for it. For a moment it seemed like things might return to their normal universe and she would make a sly and bitter remark. No, instead she did the same exact thing to him in return and the reality hit Carmine like a stack of bricks. This was even harder to control. He wanted to jump on the table and announce it, maybe with a catchy rhyme if he could think of one quickly.

"You're right bro, they're absolutely fucking. They have to be!" This was like the event of the century. "I want to put that on a banner and fly it behind a Raven!"

"Dude, stop staring."

Too late. The two persons in discussion must have caught on to it, unable to ignore the feel of curious eyes upon them anymore. They both were looking to Jace and Clay's table where the commotion had been coming from. Clay couldn't break out of his 'oh shit' deer in the head lights look but his friend had been quick to avert his gaze to the meal he'd lost all interest in. When he looked back up Sam was left standing by herself with tray in hand and Baird had abandoned her heading to the fullest table only he could squeeze into. Sam, whose chest seemed to deflate with a sigh and her face somewhat disheartened, put on a smile anyway and joined the two at a table where at least there was room to sit. Neither were very good at hiding their guilt and the silence they greeted her with gave it away. Her eyes locked on Carmine who she knew would break first as he nervously picked at a radish or beet or something. It didn't take long before he cracked.

"What? Don't look at me like that…"

"Good lord, you two are worse than two old women with all the gossip." Sam looked to Baird several tables away. "And he's no better than a damn toddler. I really didn't expect I'd have the biggest set of balls out of everyone when I showed up here."

"Me neither." Carmine said out, for some reason. Sam kicked him under the table. "Ow! I'm serious, you scare me Just please don't hurt me again."

"Just be quiet and eat your vegetables so you can grow into a big boy one day alright?" Sam grumbled, trying not to look across the room at Baird. Her friends were right, just what had that moment been about?

* * *

><p>As the helicopter came around and slowed for a landing she was the first person he saw. Her brown skin glistening in the sun stood out against the green of the grass that shown illuminated now that the storm was gone. The flight in had been breath taking and Baird felt ashamed for thinking so and much the same about Samantha when she was so sad. Even if she thought she wasn't showing it. Each time Fenix said his name [<em>Dom<em>] her face twisted a bit with the collective ache in their gut. When she looked to Baird he knew what she was asking and wanted the same. He lifted an arm and she fit under it perfectly, her head resting against his shoulder as well once she was in place. Sam sighed deeply and hooked her arm around the small of his back needing to both hold and be held. She wanted to scream but stuffed the pain inside for a little longer because there was a job to be done and she couldn't stand to fall apart now. When he kissed her forehead he could taste the gun powder on her skin and didn't want to let go. She was asking him to make the pain stop now, but that wasn't real.

Sam was and so was her pain but the moment of comfort he offered existed only in the still flashes that filled his mind whenever he saw her. Such as now standing on the banks of Azura. Her brown eyes looked to him now and the message was much the same as he'd imagined in his head. She needed something to keep her going. Hesitantly Baird took a step forward, head still shaking in disbelief. The wind changed directions and her scent washed over his face along with that of the sea water making his knees weak. Thank God Marcus was sending her aboard the Girasni ship, which she clearly resented but was already on her way. He had to say something now, tell her he was sorry for never being honest or that she meant something. He stumbled towards her.

"Hey Sam…," and then stumbled over his words. "Take care of yourself alright?"

Still, he could have sworn she almost smiled. "Yeah, you too Baird."

_Well, you fucked that up. _He thought to himself, turning back towards the island and the others. If he ever wanted a chance to redeem himself he was going to have to save the whole world to do it it seemed.

* * *

><p>"...take care of yourself, alright?"<p>

"Yeah, you too Baird."

Last words. They'd both hesitated knowing something else deserved to be said instead of the unemotional pleasantries. Sam didn't want him to go. Baird told himself it would be okay, they had JACK now and she would be with the Gorasni. Not his favorite people by any means, but it would be safer on their ship than on the island. If the worst happened they would need someone left offshore Marcus had understood and sent the youngest of the squad away. Jace and Sam had seen enough for today, Sam especially. Fenix worried about her but didn't have time to mention or dwell on it.

Baird descended the stairs with heavy bow legged steps and his mind heavy. He'd been so worried about the effects of the immulsion and Marcus' father's machine on himself he never thought the crazy old man would have tested it on himself. It was none of his business and he would never tell the Sergeant but he thought what his father did was a dick move, and Baird knew about shitty fathers. Not the machine, maybe not even sacrificing himself but making his son watch. Baird was shaken up from seeing it. Marcus was…Marcus was gone. The sun stung his eyes as he stepped out onto the balcony entrance to uproariously applause and cheers. He felt the congratulatory slaps on his shoulders, forcing his way through the crowd of Gears and Terech's soldiers looking for a familiar face. There was Cole, who he simply nodded to once they met up. It was all that needed to be said between the two normally.

"Hey," Cole nudged his shoulder and pointed through the crowd of rag tag soldiers almost too tired to celebrate their victory, almost. He was motioning towards the woman and two men approaching.

Sam had her shotgun against her shoulder and her arm around Jace for a bit of support as she seemed to be limping. He could swallow the knot in his throat now knowing she was okay and waved several fingers to the group who had already noticed him. Sam must have been the first because she said something to the other men that made them stay behind as she started to walk towards him.

"Shit," he muttered under his breath. He could see why she'd been limping now, her left leg was cut and tied up but she was no worse for wear. And fucking gorgeous as always.

"Was this your plan all along? Send me away so you boys can save the world?" She smiled and greeted him.

"That depends, did it impress you?"

Just a foot or so at his side Sam stopped. They'd been in this spot the day before, staring out at the same ocean as different people. She looked out to see Anya's small hand encompassed by Marcus' as the two sat out on the beach and wanted that feeling for herself too. Rather than sit and be envious she decided to be proactive about it, and get what she wanted even if she wasn't sure how exactly to get it at first. She'd try though.

"Yeah, Damon I'd say that did the trick." Samantha whispered to him as she moved closer.

He hadn't heard her say his name in some time. It made him feel brave, and smile and he brushed a piece of her hair behind her ear his thumb accidentally leaving a dirt streak on her cheek as he did. Unexpectedly to him Sam leaned her face into his hand in response. His heart beat started to quicken.

_Kiss her!_

Every part of him was screaming as he lifted her chin up and tried to look sure of himself, leaning in.

_Kiss me!_

Sam's mind screamed back, lips just starting to part.

"Ahaha! Fucking Delta Squad in the house you bitches! Are you DL with the DS?" The elated shouting of Clayton Carmine cut through the air, the eldest of fallen sons running wild towards his brothers in arms. He knocked off his helmet revealing shaggy brown hair matted to his forehead with sweat but his blue green eyes gleaming. In an instant he nearly tackled Samantha, swinging her into his arms. She winced as she was forced to put pressure on her bad leg because of the clueless Private.

"Are you out of your mind?" She cried, try to push herself free but laughing instead glad to see he was alright too.

He saw her leg and realized his mistake as well as the jealous glare in Baird's eyes, recalling the lunch time conversation forever ago. Sam saw it too and though Clay let her go, she gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Sorry Sam, I didn't see your leg."

"It's merely a flesh wound," she said warmly. "You did good today, your brothers would be proud."

Baird didn't appreciate the man's enthusiasm or company and now he could see Jace and Dizzy not too far off either. They'd gotten tired of waiting. Figured he could help save the world but would never get a moment alone with his girl. He'd waited too damn long and was about to tell both of the men to get lost when he heard Cole's voice booming over his shoulder.

"Baird! Woooo, baby! You're going to want to see this!"

Judging by how excited his friend was, Baird did want to see whatever it was desperately. He looked to Sam, who he also wanted desperately. She tilted her head towards Cole.

"Go on Damon, I know you want to."

"Are you going to be okay?" He looked at her leg.

"It actually hurts pretty bad," chuckled Sam. "I'm going to make one of these boys help me limp over to a med station and check out the damage."

It was the best idea. The side of her pant leg was ripped open and stained with blood, two belts tied around her thigh with one at the top and the other just above her knee. Baird nodded, feeling a pang of disappointment in his stomach still as he watched her go.

"Baird! If you don't get over here I'm going to make sure I didn't hurt my throwing arm too much by tossing this disc Fenix gave you in the ocean!" Cole yelled to him again.

"No don't!"

He turned to see the man beaming at him. Beside him JACK had cracked open one of the wall panels and was lighting up all sorts of colors. Of course he knew they'd been watching but didn't care. Smiling despite all effort he took off towards them. It was going to be a good day. Heading in the opposite direction an arm now around Jace, Samantha was trying to suppress the same grin. Jace didn't fail to notice but bit his tongue after the conversation on the ship they had, he knew the woman deserved to be happy. They all did.


	8. Chapter 8

[ So the original version of this was smutty as all hell but I realized I should probably edit it down for . Hopefully it's not still too dirty ;] but I tried to keep a little. Consider this is your last warning: This chapter is about SEX, turn back now if that's not your thing and read on if it totally is. Enjoy! ]

The cut on her leg wasn't so bad, Samantha thought looking at it now. She was surprised to find herself slightly embarrassed as her pants were being cut off by the Gorasni medic who couldn't have looked happier to do the job. Unfortunately she was alone with him too for the time being as she'd hastily sent Jace to find her another pair of pants. She wasn't walking out of here without a pair, end of story. _Thank God you wore your knickers today Samantha, Mom would be proud._ The thought made her laugh and snort out of no where startling the medic as he was trying to start her stitches, almost poking himself. It was so cool and comfortable inside the small lab room/minor trauma center they had set up just inside the complex that she couldn't help but enjoy her time in it. Her eyes closed as she realized it was quiet now, no gun fire just the whir of circulated air to lull her ever closer towards sleep. She heard someone enter the room and didn't open her eyes, figuring on it being Jace finally returning.

"Did you find me a pair? I bet you'd all get a right kick of me walking out of here bare assed but I'll hold you down and steal the pants off YOUR ass if it even crosses your mind." Sam chided a bit sarcastically.

"Your pants are already off, I just walked in the door and now you're threatening to strip me by force? I really must have impressed you Byrne." Fucking Baird. She opened her eyes to the site of him and grinned. He didn't so much looking at the wound on her leg. "Jesus Sam, good thing we made you stay back."

"Shut up you shit head."

The cut was no more than seven inches and ran from the front of her thigh up and around towards the inside. She was lucky and she knew that deeply but didn't regret the actions she had taken at that moment. Even if she had died the decision was still the right one. As the medic finished off the last stitch she winced, the local anesthesia starting to lose it's touch. Baird was again not impressed that someone else had their hands on Sam. He was tired of sharing.

"Get lost grunt," he snapped. "I'll take it from here."

Sam gave the guy a sympathetic look and he relented, moving away from the table she sat on with her left leg up on it as well and right one hanging off. Baird really did appreciate the view of her ass it gave him too but he moved in to stand between her legs. It was a bold gesture on his part but she seemed to appreciate it.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Sam asked, looking at her leg and then back to him though her eyes implied something else.

"We'll see." Damon sighed and cupped her face.

There were no crowds, no beach, just them. This was the moment he'd been fighting for an hour before he could hardly believe. Sam grabbed him by the back of his head impatiently and finished the distance between them, seizing his mouth with a victorious moan as she did so His hands couldn't resist the opportunity before him and moved down to caress her oh so long and tattooed arms and legs, mindful of the wound. While she took initiative nipping at his bottom lip just barely to tease before rewarding his efforts and taking it in her mouth, he took his own initiative. He traced his finger tips down the back of her right leg causing her to shiver and moved his right hand around to the small of her back. Instinctively he started to lay her down on the bed and she didn't fight it. The light blonde stubble that had grown in on his cheeks and around his mouth scratched at the skin of her cheeks her but she didn't care. Some part of her even seemed to enjoy it. Anya had been right, she really needed to get laid. Finally, having to not fight off her own urges but Baird's strength as well she gasped.

"Go lock the door!"

"Mm-what?" He was just starting to open his eyes. "Oh the door, right right."

Breaking away from her was almost painful but Baird tried to make it quick. The less time spent doing meant the more time thinking. Thinking about how she was too young for him, too pretty and smart too. Still he locked the door and even put a chair under the handle to assure they wouldn't be interrupted. He wasn't dreaming this anymore, he knew that when he turned around and looked at her. She looked better in person even as she fumbled clumsily with the chest piece of her armor.

"Let me," he instructed, returning to her side and knocked on the small side latches to release her from the plastic and metal. He was all for her disrobing and helped her out of the parts. Her black tank top underneath was stuck to her body underneath. He thought about peeling it off but didn't want to rush this moment and leaned over the table to kiss her again. Their lips were dry and the salt of her tongue stung but he welcomed it, letting her take his mouth again. Now he was able to explore her body free from bulky restrictions. Sam was excited, but she followed his pace though and made each kiss slow and thoughtful instead of the ravenous hunger that she felt. His right hand had been at her side and slid down to her hip. As she bit on his tongue he squeezed the flesh in his palm and growled. Since her pants had been cut away she was left wearing only a pair of black cotton briefs and his mind was reeling to think were the only barrier between himself and her. He hooked his thumb under the side of her underwear and gave them a playful snap. She laughed into his mouth in response. His other hand supported her head as he pulled back a bit to look down at her, assuring himself again she was still real. A sick part of his mind expected her to just disappear, or turn to ash in his hands like Adam Fenix. Baird tried to shake those thoughts away, back to the most pleasant task at hand, literally. Careful of her hurt leg he summoned up his nerve and slid his free hand inwards over the mound of her underwear. Her fluttering eyes opened to his as he started to work his hand up and down the short length of her slit. She made the softest of sounds between her panting lips and he rewarded her by pressing his middle finger deeper into the fabric that was starting grow damp. One of her hands fell to his shoulder she grasped it weakly. She should have known a mechanic would be good with his hands, but Sam was surprised just how well he seemed to work her. The calloused pads of his fingers and palms moved over her panties, brushing through the fabric against the right spot occasionally and causing her to move her hips back against him. This was overdue. Baird broke their kiss.

"Samantha, is this…Can I?" He asked, needing to stop now if he was going to have to.

She nodded enthusiastically and ran a thumb across his lips which he made an effort to nip at. Taking a secondary glance at her body Baird used the moment to decide where to start. He pushed the tank top's hem to reveal more and more of her stomach and settled it rolled right beneath her breasts. His eyes were fascinated by both her fantastic form and the tattoos that adorned it, her right side was inked with foreign writing on her ribs, a few verses worth at least. Just inside her hip bones and peeking out of her underwear he could see sharp Anvegad tribal markings he was eager to follow. He'd started to chew on his lower lip just a bit, eyes still roaming. Sam was growing both wary and impatient.

"What are you staring at?" She half-laughed but afraid maybe he was a bit too taken back by her unusual appearance.

He'd been caught and blushed a bit. "You, you dumb broad. You're gorgeous."

"Oh yeah? Well then, where's my show?" Sam coyly asked, eyeing him up through his armor.

"I kind of like the idea of you having wrestle my pants off…" He teased, deciding to get back to work finally.

"Keep dreaming."

Baird leaned down over the table and planted a kiss just on the inside crease of her left thigh, causing her to stifle a gasp. He could have spent all day exploring her, he thought. She had a hundred little scars and birthmarks aside from the man made modifications that he wanted to know about, but they would be there later. This moment maybe not. It was a little awkward with her half on the table and he eased her other leg up over his shoulder as he knelt. He could feel the tremors in her legs and smiled to himself.

God, did he know she was shaking? Sam wondered as he started to rub the inside of her thigh he'd put on his shoulder. The coarse stubble of his cheek was rubbing against the same flesh too as he started to make his way inward with teasing kisses until his lips were on the border of her panties. She'd started to chew on her left thumbnail anxiously, her other hand resting against his scalp. Her eyes were on the ceiling tiles, too nervous and self conscious to watch the man at work. With his right thumb Baird hooked the side of her underwear and began pulling at them slowly, enjoying the taste of the revealed flesh as he went until had moved them completely to the side. She could feel the cold air on her exposed flesh, the metal of the table on her ass and his lips moving just above her box. He blew a hot breath over her wet folds and she shuddered.

"Damon!"

He was smiling to himself, but she didn't need to know that. He drug his tongue just lightly across the moist skin in front of him, enough to get another shudder from her. Her hand finally seemed to settle comfortably on his head and her leg over his shoulder gripped him tighter. Sam would never expected him to be such a tease, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of hearing her plead yet. The soft strokes of his tongue over her intimate areas had her pushing just slightly against him. He wasn't going to resist and parted her snatch fully with his tongue, sweeping top to bottom and for a moment he caught her clit between his lips causing her back to arch and body to freeze, awaiting his next actions. She tasted so good but he eventually freed the nub to go back to work thoroughly wetting her with his tongue.

Thank god for the air conditioning, she thought to herself as her body's temperature seemed to have reached triple digits. She was unaware of the tiny noises she made, unable to focus much except for on all things carnal. Fuck did he know what he was doing. Her fingers relaxed the unintentional grip on his hair just long enough for Baird to surprise her again. He had gone back to work diligently, knowing now what just exactly made her work. One hand on her hip kept her from moving too far and his other was wrapped around the leg on his shoulder which he still squeezed and kneaded at. Each time his lips or tongue caught against the raw ball of nerve endings she squirmed and could feel an almost unfamiliar pressure growing in her stomach.

"Fuck! Damon, you bastard…" she cried as she felt an electric shock run up her spine. "That's, mm, so … so good…I could…ugh.."

Music to his ears and swelling ego, Baird stopped what he was doing but gave her wet lips one last kiss before he looked up to her. He had to admit the sound of making her cum right there was pretty appealing. "Do you want me to?"

Sam shook her head no which got her a puzzled look only momentarily. "I want you to fuck me Damon."

That sounded so much more appealing. He grinned and set her leg down so he could stand back up but Sam caught the lip of his armor and started to pull him up onto the table over top of her. He was careful of her hurt leg, straddling it strategically. She was moving quick to first undo his chest armor and then tossed it aside carelessly. Something glass broke but they didn't care. He was laughing when he grabbed her face to kiss her again. She could taste herself on him when he seized her mouth. Fucking Baird, she couldn't stop repeating to herself. They parted so she could peel his wife beater off over his head and stared down at his bare chest and stomach. He wasn't the tallest or the strongest Gear but she didn't find the sight of him any less impressive.

"Like what you see?" He flexed rediculously, following the line of her gaze.

"It'll do." She teased, running her fingernails over his ribs. His face hardened and she could tell he was ticklish. She'd have to remember that. "Take off your pants."

God she was bossy. He was tempted to tell her she would have to wrestle them off like she'd said, but something about that stern tone she used that got his blood flowing. He had to get off the table to take off his pants. Sam sat up when she could and reached for an adhesive gauze bandage. She slapped it over the wound on her leg, not wanting to have to be distracted by it every moment. Baird was trying to pull off a boot, balanced on one foot. Sam laughed and came to assist. Her slender fingers made easy work of laces, buckles and straps that kept her from what she wanted. First his utility belt hit the ground, then his armor while he finally was able to kick his shoes off. They were chest to chest now, without any barriers to keep him from feeling the softness of her curves or the warmth of her dark skin. She seemed to fit just perfect against him and he wanted to hold her a little longer there. Other plans seemed to be more important as her hands now worked away at his button and fly.

"You're kidding right?" Sam gasped afterwards.

"Umm...no?" Whatever she was asking about he needed to deny because it didn't sound good.

"You're not putting that in me."

Sam hadn't even taken off his boxer briefs and knew she was in trouble when she pushed his pants down past his hips. He pressed into her, still grinning.

"Are you sure? It's kind of late to change your mind now Samantha." Baird teased, stroking her earlobe between the thumb and forefinger of one hand while the other slipped back beneath her panties. She was so wet he slipped a finger inside of her without much resistance, and then a second.

"Uugh," Sam whimpered, head falling back. Baird took the moment to kiss her exposed throat while he continued to finger her slowly..

"We really don't have to, we can stop if you mean it Sam," the gentlemen in him said even though he didn't completely feel the same way and his actions said so.

"N-no, don't stop." She knew there was no turning back.

As he kept her pinned lightly between himself and the table, toying with her she did the same and reached a hand blindly to feel him. Her palm fell flat on his abs which was close enough She slid it down over the sizeable bulge straining against his briefs and heard him growl against her shoulder where he had nestled his face. Yeah, it was real. She stroked her fingertips along the underside of his shaft through the fabric and pressed her thumb firmly under the head of his member.

"Samantha," he crooned. "Fuck…"

Her hands moved back to the elastic band of his shorts, pushing them down. He took hold of the hem of her shirt and pulled it up. Her bare breasts were mashed against his chest as he kissed her more roughly now, responding to her hand that had pulled him free of his boxers and was stroking the length of his manhood. When he was sure she couldn't breathe he let her go and looked down at her newly exposed chest. His eyebrows rose.

"What's wrong with your nipples?" He asked.

Her hand stopped. Feeling a bit insulted Sam snapped, "They're pierced you idiot."

Baird started grinning again. "You're a fucking freak Samantha."

She looked down at his impressive member which was now resting against her thigh rather intimidating is she could say so. He wasn't circumcised, she noted and started laughing. Baird didn't like that, his grin faded.

"What? Don't laugh at it!" Really, this was the first time something like this had happened and there was just no preparing a man for a thing like this.

"I'm sorry! It's just…" She was practically giggling now.

"Just what?" His eyes narrowed.

"Baird, even your dick is such a pretty rich boy it wears a turtle neck."

Samantha had lost it, this was obviously the funniest thing she'd heard all day and she leaned her head against his chest while she continued to roll with laughter. He loved that sound. It was pretty funny too even if he didn't want to admit. He decided to slap the side of her ass, bringing her back to the moment and the mood. Her lusty brown eyes peered up from his chest, the perfect fucking vision he'd been waiting for. He lifted her just the several inches so she could sit on the edge of the table, and pushed her right leg aside. She was watching him anxiously, he could see she was a little nervous but nodded her permission to him when he looked into her eyes. He kissed her and made his move…

One hand held her chin as his tongue ran slow circles around the inside of her mouth and the other stroked her softly a few last times before reaching for himself. Yeah, there was a good reason he was an over confident self assured bastard sometimes. Her hands were gently holding onto his upper arms as he made the first efforts, pushing the head between warm folds. Fuck, she was tight and the concentration on their kiss faded as he felt himself start to slip inside. The discomfort of her nails digging into his biceps barely registered but he knew enough to stop halfway now, though he ached to have her all. When did his mouth get so dry?

Sam should have told him to let her handle this in the beginning because though he went slow the man obviously still didn't understand just what he was working with. The head of his cock slipped in to her pleasure but it was the several thicker inches afterwards that made her want to gasp. She squeezed his arms and he stopped, so did the pain

"Sam…," he said it as it was one of the few words left in his vocabulary by now. The hand that left her chin moved on to explore her breasts, groping one with his thumb flicking over the nipple and barbells on each side.

She'd moved her good leg around his waist and slowly pushed him forward with it, a little deeper making her gasp. Baird stopped her, but only so he could warm her up further. Almost sliding out completely, he then started thrusting into her tight slit shallowly but taking a little more of it each time. Soon she was all too glad to move in rhythm with him too, putting an arm over his shoulder and around his back for leverage. Occasionally Sam's injured thigh was bumped, causing her to wince but not care. His damp forehead met hers and they attempted several ragged uneven kisses.

"This is crazy," Sam had to think out loud between little cries.

The sounds she made were driving him wild. They were like little battle sounds which he knew would forever change fighting beside her in combat again. The way her legs and insides squeezed him, Baird started seeing black spots in his vision.

"I know," he whispered against her cheek, pulling her back to his chest and completely to her hips. "Oh Sam…fuck.."

The pressure in her abdomen was there again, with each stroke he pressed into her g-spot and she could feel her grip on civility slipping. He was grunting next to her ear, his breath on her neck and his hands gripped her sweaty skin tighter. Always holding her close though even when he pulled out, teasing as he ran the head of his cock back against her, up her pussy and over her clit. She took a shallow breath, and he dipped the head just inside her. Samantha writhed in response, desperate for more than he slowly gave and took away.

"Please, Damon….I don't know if I'll…don't stop."

Carefully, oh so carefully with her Baird started to turn around so that now he was sitting in the edge of the table while she still straddled his lap. He'd had his fun, he wanted to watch her. While he ran his fingers along her tattoos Sam leaned back and eased herself back down onto him. Apparently out for retribution she seemed to take forever sliding down his cock, which drew a long drawn out 'fuuuuuuck' from the man's lips. After that it was entirely about her. She moved at her own accord, up quicker and down slower those strokes obviously doing the most for her. Her hair moved and her perfect breasts bounced in tune but he found it better to hold them for her now as she showed no signs of slowing.

"Samantha, I'm…"

He was biting his lip and holding back and hating how she looked so perfect now. It was like she'd almost forgotten about him being there, so wrapped up in her own pleasure and getting off. Still Baird couldn't stop and thrust into her as she was unexpectedly pulling away. It seemed to set her off and she used the lord's name in vein while giving her lover a heavy lidded look. It was all he needed. She pulled away and he took her back, catching her off guard when she thought she'd figured out his rhythm until the flood gates gave way. He watched her stomach tense and Sam fell into his shoulder right after, her hips quivering against his as she tried to quiet her screams in the crook of his neck. It was his name she was calling, _Daa-amon_ as her toes curled and her fingertips went numb and she could only feel him inside her, pulsing. She kept saying _please, please _but he wasn't sure what for. He had a good idea though, and hammered out the last of his frenzied thrusts as her orgasm tapered off. His started and he took one hand full of her hair, the other smacked her ass harder than he realized. It felt like he came forever, hips still jerking slightly with each decreasing pleasurable wave. When it was gone he was left with the returning sensation of her warm weight on him. If he didn't know better he would have pulled her fully back onto the table with him and just rest in their glow

"Sam," he sighed wistfully into her hair, making sure she was still awake.

"Mmmm," she replied just barely. She didn't want to move at the moment and he wasn't going to make her. "We should have done that ages ago."


	9. Chapter 9

[ This thing really took on a life of its own and I'm trying to catch up my chapters on here with the others I have finished so this story can be finished in the next couple installments. There may be an original follow up story involved, but only time will tell and only if anyone out there wants to read it ;). Reading and not reviewing is the leading cause of age spots and wrinkles too did you know? Review for your health!

And is it weird to anyone else that the same voice actor that does Marcus does Bender's voice for Futurama too? Just a thought. ]

_Wow. Just wow._

_I know …_

_Fucking Baird of all people._

_I know, we did not see that one coming._

Her mind bantered to itself idly as Sam went on with her current task at hand, smiling the whole time. One by one she was loading pallets of left over ammunition and arms back onto the sub Dizzy had taken to the surface. The clean up was only beginning now at Azura but she could have been scrubbing toilets and cared less. Was this a genuine moment of uninterrupted happiness? She wondered to herself but let the thought go quick enough and manipulated the loaders joystick to place the last complete palette in the cargo compartment with a tune humming under her breath. Dizzy had been sitting at the edge of the pier with the stub of a cigar in his hand watching the woman work so diligently but with seemingly no effort and smiled to himself. He loved Sam like a daughter and was happy to see her in a good mood, innocently figuring their victory would be the cause of such a saunter in her step. Had he known Baird were the reason he would have had cause to take the Corporal below deck for a long _long _talk. She gave him a small salute as the job was done and stepped out of the loader.

"Anything else I can help you with Diz?" Sam asked over the sound of the water lapping against the wooden pier.

He puffed out a few smoke circles and tipped his hat to her. "Just stay thirsty Sam. Something says we've earned a drink or two tonight."

Her face visibly brightened at the sound of such a good time. "Count me in Diz. I'm going to go see if the Gorasni need any more supplies, wanna come?"

"You go ahead hun, I'm going to make sure this old can will make the trip back off this island."

She rolled her eyes as if the answer where so obvious. "Well if you didn't drive it through a mine field on the way here…."

He would have chastised her but she had started off, her boots thunking on the wooden planks as she sprinted away. Dizzy tossed the cigar stub into the shallow bay and went to shut the cargo hatch on the sub thinking something about the vitality of the young. It must have been true because she didn't slow her pace, Sam kept running. She was in no rush but her body still just wanted to _go._ The sand gave her resistance and to her another reason to run faster. Other Gears and UIR gave her a look as she darted past, kicking up sand and still smiling but they didn't think much of it for long. Everyone had a different way of celebrating, so they supposed. When she was finally out of breath she collapsed onto her knees and hands panting heavily and then when she could breathe she laughed. Oh life was good and she watched the sand pour out of her hands from between her fingers thinking so.

"Having fun?" Someone asked from behind.

It was Jace Stratton who's mood seemed as good as her. She nodded to him, feeling a bit silly now and started to stand back up, brushing off the sand the whole time. "Sorry I just-Well, you know."

"Yeah I gotcha." He chuckled, giving the woman a nod and helping hand. "Hey, I thought they took care of your leg."

She looked down and saw the blood starting to stain the inner thigh of her pant leg again. Shit, she must have just torn a stitch running like a mad woman. Dumb ass. Sam sighed.

"I did. Sorry Jace, wouldn't have made you get me a new pair of knickers if I was just gonna ruin these ones too. Figures the Gorasni's did a second rate job."

He clapped her shoulder. "I think I just saw Anya up on the mezzanine, I bet she can help you."

"Thanks. Drinks tonight? On me." She beamed at him.

"Of course."

Sam bumped his knuckles and they continued on their ways. Now she was aware of the blood running down her leg and forgot about the Gorasni, she needed to get this fixed and headed back inside the building. Like Jace had said Anya was in the mezzanine handing out orders and files to a never ending line of little cadets, Marcus was a few feet to her side doing the exact same thing. It seemed like a bad time but Anya saw and waved her over. She sent off one soldier, stopped the next from walking up to her and quickly addressed the brunette, indifferent to her time of appearance.

"Everything okay Byrne?"

"Oh yeah. I'll talk to you later Anya, I didn't realize you were so busy." Sam said, looking around. She couldn't believe how many people had shown up until now.

Anya saw the blood on her leg and frowned. "You haven't taken care of that?"

"I did. I just tore a stitch or something. Really, it's fine. I'll talk to you later okay? You look busy." Insisted Sam, still smiling.

She insisted a little too much. Anya got the distinct feeling that her friend was hiding something from her too and Samantha had never been one for secrets. She shoved her clipboard into Marcus' hands, whispered something in his ear and grabbed Sam by the hand to lead her away by towards the closest first aid kit and private area they would find in the buzzing nest. They ended up quite a few yards down the south wing before there was an empty room they could use. Anya shut the door behind her not realizing it failed to latch completely and opened back up just an inch or so.

"Pants down." She instructed opening the med kit. Sam didn't question her, undid her armor to make it easier and just pushed her pants down past her knees. It was too much effort to get her boots off.

Her thigh was marked with streaks of dried blood and it seemed the wound had stopped until she pulled her pants and the scab it had formed off. Then it was bleeding again. She grabbed a random piece of paper lying near by to try and mop up the mess. Anya sighed, exasperated.

"Don't use that! Just…just sit."

Sam laughed, "Sorry. I guess this is why you're the one that does this right?"

Anya took a small alcohol cloth and swabbed up the area on Sam's leg so she could see what she was working with. The stitches were good, Gorasni or not. It wouldn't be much work to fix it.

"So how did you do this?" Anya asked, curious since Sam always had fantastic explanations for the simplest things.

"I was running."

She got an inquisitive look, one that dared to call her on any bullshit.

"Seriously! I don't know Anya, I was helping Dizzy with cargo and the sun was out….I mean we fucking just won right? Well not completely but … we're here. I felt so good, and I just started running." Sam insisted dreamily, her mind other places.

Delicately Anya was clipping and retying the stitches, trying to keep her concentration. There was no ignoring Sam's tone however. The clues were all right in front of her. Anya kept her satisfaction to herself for the time being but went on..

"So what you're really saying is you finally took my advise and did it."

Sam feigned ignorance. "Did what?"

"You slept with Baird."

Her eyes widened and she protested weakly. "I did no such thing Stroud!"

"Don't lie to me Samantha. He left a hickey on your leg."

"What, really?" Sam looked down to Anya's work area and realized she'd been outsmarted. There was no hickey there at least, but she'd admitted to her actions. There was no turning back now and Stroud gave her a proud look. "Fine…I did…"

There was a shit eating expression she couldn't hide, she'd been trying to get Sam on that train forever much to the woman's defiance. She finished mending the stitches, removed her gloves and took a seat across from her friend. Understandably from the outside Anya realized how vain and self fulfilling her interest in Sam and Baird must have seemed, but that was from the outside. They were all far different people on the inside than the uniforms made them out to be, Samantha especially so. Of course she wouldn't deny a bit of projection and need to hear tales of another woman's vivacious sex life.

"In a Gorasni Medical room too." Sam had waited to tack on that detail, knowing it was one of the better parts..

Anya's eyes couldn't help but widen. She demanded, "Shut up and tell me every filthy sexy detail. Was it good?"

Still dreaming, Sam pushed the toe of her boot into the ground and started out modestly, "Well, yeah….Oh fuck Anya it was great, I can't lie. I mean he took his time, he was generous….He knew exactly what spots and when…"

Anya was happy for her, a little jealous and slightly shocked. She asked to confirm, "And this is Baird we're talking about right?"

Sam nodded. "Oh I'm just as surprised as you are about it. And you were right about that other part."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?"

Sam lifted her hands and placed them a fair bit apart implying something clearly, both women started to bust up there after.

"So, what does this make you two?" Her Lieutenant asked.

This question struck the other female as rather odd because it wasn't something she had taken a lot of time to think about. She was Samantha Byrne, born in Anvil Gate, a Gear for the Coalition of Ordered Governments and a thousand other things. She didn't see how sleeping with Baird changed an identity. It was just an action. "It doesn't make us anything Anya, we're still the exact same two people we were before."

It was a stupid response and the look on Anya's face said she felt just about as much. "You know I'm the one person you don't have to act tough in front of all the time right?"

Sam grit her teeth. "Look, it was a one time thing that yes, needed to be done, but we were in the heat of the moment. I don't want to get a wrap as a girl who sleeps with her superiors and what do you really expect Anya? Baird and I aren't going to walk off hand and hand into the sunset in love just because we had sex. They're two different things, which I am able to separate. Just because it was good sex doesn't mean I'd want to date him any more than I did before, he's a child."

She pulled her pants back up from under her knees after hopping off the table. She was so anxious to talk to Anya she'd almost forgotten she had problems of her own. It wasn't for a minute or so til Sam understood she had wedged her foot in her mouth. Sure Sam had a good poker face when it came to emotions but Anya had a harder time. Now she just remained silent and threw away the wrappers for Sam's dressings, trying not to let those words about separating emotions hanging in the air weigh on her. Sam put a hand on her shoulder, knowing what would make things better.

"Come on, there'll be drinks when the days over and I've got me, Diz and Jace in attendance so far. Bring yourself and Marcus, it'll be fun." She offered but Anya simply thought it over in silence. Sam would have none of that and spun the woman around so she could take her by the hip and hand in a mock ballroom waltz. "Please? You know I don't want to have to dance by myself once I've had a couple of drinks. And you're the only one that doesn't step on my feet!"

Anya was unable to resist, laughed and freed herself from Sam. "Alright! But Sam, you have to do me a favor."

"Anything sweetheart." And Sam sincerely meant it. She wouldn't if she knew what was about to be asked of her of course.

"Give Baird a chance," Anya said. The look she received was immediate and sharp, prompting her to continue sternly. "I mean it! He's good for you whether you know it or not."

The thought was bewildering to Samantha but not entirely unexplored. The man in question was like a rash she'd decided Now that she had it, it wouldn't be going away any time soon and while most of the time it was just of a minor annoyance sometimes it drove her crazy, but when she gave in and scratched it now and then it was pure ecstasy. Besides the fact they pissed each other off Sam didn't understand what her and the blonde really had in common, but it was more than she knew. Unfortunately she couldn't deny her friend's advise as much anymore, but still she took it with a grain of salt.

"Fine Anya, but just for tonight and only so I can prove you wrong."


	10. Chapter 10

[ I'm caught up on all my chapters and it will be nice to finish this one off on the weekend. It frees me up for drawing and idea storming and I already have a million more. Read on! ]

It was a fine day if anyone were to ask Damon Baird but he certainly didn't need or want them too. It was hard to keep a shit eating grin off his face anyway, which would have drawn the most attention aside from his general good mood and all around swagger were anyone to see him. Probably the biggest perk of his jobs was the alone time though, so he was celebrating in secret. Cole hadn't asked him at all, he already knew and they were grown men. They were above gossip right? For now he tried to put aside all of those thoughts and get to work which was fairly easy for the mechanic, being able to compartmentalize and all. He finished what he would proudly call an acceptable amount of work just slightly above schedule when all was said and done. Of course he could have worked for days cracking the mysteries Azura had waiting but they'd be there later. He wanted to see _her _again and maybe talk instead of just fuck, which by all means he wouldn't be opposed to were it his only option. Hell Baird didn't even know what he wanted to say, which made him think he might want to take some time to rehearse or some shit. Shit. So, if he got this disc he'd copied over early to Stroud now, which contained the entire glyph system, new passwords, logins and overrides for most of Azura's maintenance systems, water included, (_you're welcome_) he would have time to actually figure out what to say to Sam. Making his way out from one of the many branching corridors Damon saw Marcus, but no Stroud. He cut in front of whomever Fenix had been talking to not bothering for a 'pardon me' or 'get lost.'

"Hey, where's your girlfriend?" He asked.

Marcus was moments away from giving him that go-to steely eyed glare along with choice words. Instead, for some reason he almost chuckled, "Last I saw she was running off with yours actually, Baird."

That shut the little blonde runt up Marcus mused to himself. Of course it never lasted, but this time instead of coming up with a smart ass remark Baird just seemed more interested than before. He cocked his head to the side and quickly tried to assure that was NOT the impression that would be gotten, though it was already too late. Baird started to ask, "Oh yeah? Where?"

With a nubby thumb Fenix pointed down the southern wing which seemed to be mostly medical and lab rooms as far as he could tell. He had barely been able to keep Anya out of there with the injured but when he asked, she'd had no problem coming to his aid. She never did, for anyone. Feeling what he would never describe as a bit of lonleyness without that blonde he hadn't noticed Baird take off. The soldier he cut in front of was still standing there, albeit far more timidly and raised a hand now for his turn.

_Hey Sam, can we talk? _No. _Hey Samantha, you want to grab a drink when you're done? _No, that was stupid too. Frustrated, he ran a hand back through his hair and decided to say fuck it. It wouldn't matter, he knew once he was there in front of her any rehearsed words would surely be forgotten. He would just have to keep winging it which seemed to be working out surprisingly well so far. It would all come crashing down on Sam and him soon enough but for now he was still riding on that initial euphoric high. This particular hall of the building was still under heavy use he was forced to note as he walked farther down it than he would have thought he had to, struggling the whole way like a fish upstream and wondered if he'd just missed his target by chance in all this commotion. Then he heard her laugh from several feet ahead, that sound never again lost in a crowd to him. So he pressed on and glanced through the slightly opened door the two women stood behind, oblivious to him. He should have known better to eavesdrop but leaned against the door to hear a bit better, his ears already burning and ego ready to be stroked.

"What do you really expect Anya? Baird and I aren't going to walk off hand and hand into the sunset in love just because we had sex. They're two different things, which I am able to separate. And just because it was good sex doesn't mean I'd want to date him any more than I did before, he's a child."

Anya response was silence, not denial. Baird started to grind his teeth. It was what Sam always told him, _you're a child,_ and he hated it. It was because it was what his mother had always said to him too. He could remember the moment he told his parents he wanted to be an engineer and the sneer on Jocelin Baird's face. _You're joining the COG Damon, we already discussed this. Don't be such a child, I thought I raised you better._. Funny how those warm fuzzy feelings had quickly turned acrid and started to eat him from the inside now, wasn't it? His pride had been dashed. It made him upset, angry even. Irrationally so. He decided to himself as he pushed off the door and started back the way he came that if that was how she wanted it then fine. He wasn't sure just what this retribution would be yet, but he never had a hard time thinking up a way to ruin things.

* * *

><p>Sam placed the two shot glasses in front of Clayton and proceeded to fill them generously with some wonderfully aged rum Dizzy had found in this God damn paradise. There was no reason they shouldn't enjoy the fruits of it for now they had convinced themselves and as the day wound down with the sun the majority of Delta Squad and some others had wrangled up tables, chairs, empty crates and whatever else they needed to occupy one of Azura's many balconies. Someone brought a pair of cards and at one table a game of Black Jack had started, Cole had located <em>fucking steak <em>and was charring it thoroughly on the engine of a generator they had hooked up to a set of lights and the rest of them were just drinking. Sam stood next to Carmine, who sat next to Jace who was left of Anya and then finally to hers was Dizzy completing the circle. They had invented this drinking game and already abandoned most of the rules, simply passing around the bottle and finding things for the person to the left of them to drink to. Carmine looked to be a bit intimidated by his friend's offer but she leaned over and threw her arms around his shoulder.

"C'mon now Clay, don't look so scared! I'll help you if you want," Sam picked up one of the shot glasses and clanked it against the other. "To Ben and Anthony. To all our brothers."

He could drink to that and tossed back the liquor, feeling it warmly creeping down into his belly and making his head a little fuzzy. Taking back her seat, Sam passed the bottle along to Clayton and burped without apologizing for herself. Jace was up next and seemed ready for whatever challenge that his buddy was still thinking of. He set up two shot glasses in front of Jace now who remained unmoved.

"To the ladies of Delta Squad. You put us all to shame," Carmine said rather sweetly which caused both Anya and Sam to smile and raise their glasses.

"Oh I can drink to that, but I think you're missing a glass up there. You're forgetting one for yourself," taunted Jace.

Carmine didn't take anything personally and slid a third shot up there. "By all means Stratton if you think you're man enough."

"Oooooh," Anya laughed.

"Pssshh, I don't need anyone to help me here sister." Jace said, confident of this.

"This coming from a man who lost his virginity like six months ago to some crazy GBL broad." Clayton teased.

Sam wasn't the only one who raised a curious eyebrow, but the first to speak. She asked curiously, "WHO? What? When was this?"

"Nothing, Carmine's full of shit as usual. Besides Sam it's not like we haven't heard what you've been up to."

Her stomach and cheerful demeanor dropped and it cut through the table's brevity like a cold breeze. Jace couldn't have tried to stuff the words back into his mouth any faster and by the way the color left Carmine's face Sam knew he was even less innocent. She looked to Anya who seemed just as bewildered but not to Dizzy, too shamed already for that. After swallowing that bitter pill Sam put on her best stoic demeanor and set down her drink.

"Who told you that?" She asked both men, remaining calm.

"I don't know, uh-some grunt?" Carmine stuttered, and grimaced sympathetically. "Listen, Sam I didn't know-"

"Some grunt?" Her tone raised, as did she from her chair. Anya did the same across the table. "Hold my seat gentlemen, I'll be right back."

Okay, this wasn't a big deal right? The voice in her head asked and Sam failed to think of a positive answer. Maybe Baird had innocently gotten in over his head, bragging or something and was hiding in shame with his tail between his legs in a puddle of piss. That would be the only acceptable outcome in which she might be a forgiving soul. With this information in her head it was hard not to feel like every set of eyes was on her as she walked across the deck and over to Augustus. He was slapping a juicy rib-eye down onto a platter. It made her mouth water, but was passed over and she put a hand on his arm to grab his attention.

"Hey Cole, you seen Blondie?" She asked as nonchalantly as possible.

"Yeah uh, just inside. Talkin' to some mechanic from Sigma or something." It seemed to work as he nodded his head in the right direction and immediately returned to his meats.

She had tried to ignore the fact Anya had followed her and continued to do so, which the Lieutenant seemed fine with for now. It was actually nice to have a little back up supposed Sam as she stepped back inside Azura and scouted about for that blonde grease monkey. He was never difficult to lose luckily, as he was usually pissing someone off rather loudly. Now he sat on a crate, next to another COG sneering and snorting about something. Baird noticed her but pretended not to until she was standing right at his feet. Only then did he look up and his expression wasn't that warm one she'd last seen as he kissed her cheek and told her he'd see her later before leaving the medical room. He looked resentful.

"Can we talk?" Sam asked, trying to keep composure.

"Well I kind of already was. It's a little rude of you to interrupt Byrne," Baird stated flatly.

The COG next to him gave her a second look when Baird mentioned her name and Sam knew he knew too. She spit, "Are you serious Damon? Was it so good you had to go tell everyone?"

"You seemed to think so."

That second ton of bricks for the night dropped on her and she could feel Anya's hand making an attempt to take her by the elbow. Sam shrugged it off and stooped into Baird's face. "You _fucking child_, and here I thought you might have had a redeeming quality about you underneath all that self-stroking bullshit you call a personality."

"It was sex Sam, don't lose your head over it. Just cause I made you cum doesn't mean I want to make you my wife." He countered with zero sympathy.

_*PAAAH-P!*_

She'd never slapped someone so hard in her life. It was only after when her hand lit up on fire she released she'd done it anyway and damn near knocked Baird off his chair. His cheek had an immediate imprint left to remind him. Anya was grabbing her again, much harder and pulled her back. Several people around had taken notice, so much for keeping composure she was pissed. Baird touched his lip which she'd broken open and wiped the blood away with a thumb. Sam was walking backwards from his slowly, aided by her Lieutenant who kept pulling her towards the door until she gave in and stormed out of her own volition. He didn't feel the least bit good about what he'd done now, but it was done and that was all that mattered. With a shrug he looked back to the Sigma Squad member at his side and shrugged as if this was just an every day thing. What Baird failed to realize what just how many people knew now, how many would still find out and how some of them were going to react.

[ What? Baird must just be the world's biggest asshole right? ;) I'm taking a week off from this with Thanksgiving coming up and all so leave me lots of love to come back to! Do you guys think Sam will forgive him anyway? Let me know if you would. ]


	11. Chapter 11

[And I'm back! Happy Holidays to everyone who has been waiting, hopefully the new chapter will have been worth the wait. Questions? Comments? Review and I'll be glad to answer! ]

The shocks in the old truck were nothing but ghosts of their former selves as it careened and bounced over every damn stump and pothole Jace could hit on their way to Mercy, constantly jostling the two bodies in the bed around much to their owner's displeasure. Whomever had decided to let Stratton get in some time behind the wheel was sick in the head. Sam was the first to sit down with her back leaning up against the cab, she hoped the ride might go a little smoother this way but no such luck. She was feeling just about a hundred times better than when she'd woken up this morning but the constant bouncing was starting to drag back up that uneasy feeling in her gut. Not to mention her ass was starting to get sore, constantly bouncing off the metal bed. Dominic was still standing and enjoying the ride and fresh air a bit more obviously than his counter part. Without realizing it Sam found herself staring at the man and he caught her, the only relief was that he just smiled and bent a little bit at the knee so he didn't have to speak so loudly to be heard over the wind rushing by them. There was another uneasy feeling inside now. The one she used to feel around him quite a lot before he'd made his intentions with her clear and now it was distinctly more bitter sweet than anything.

"I don't like this Sam, you're too quiet," Dominic teased her.

"It's a long way, are you sure you want to get me started yapping now Santiago?" She shouted back.

He took a seat next to her, still smiling. "Better someone to talk to for the trip than enjoying the view in dead silence."

His head tilted to the other truck by their side where Marcus and Anya had seemed to take up the idea of sitting too. They weren't talking very much. They never did. Sam noticed the same thing. Alright, it couldn't really hurt she supposed.

"What's bothering you?" Dom asked.

"I've just been thinking about Anvil Gate. The other night, the weirdest thing happened," she was forced to say a bit louder than she'd liked. Dominic looked interested and because of that she felt completely ridiculous even bringing it up. Still, it wouldn't be fair to her friend to stop now. "Baird was nice to me."

Dom laughed. Sam was remembering again why she liked him. He had a nice smile she found herself thinking.

"Really? Well, I suppose it's not the strangest thing to happen." He said.

"It is to me. He was … nice! He said nice things. I think he even helped me back to the barracks too," Sam was shaking her head in disbelief recalling the events of the night before. They had slowly come back to her throughout the day, at first when she saw Baird in passing before they left and then in large chunks here and there since then. Maybe she should have said something to him that morning.

"Yeah?" Dom found himself in agreement, sort of. It was strange but he had seen this coming a mile away. Everyone had. The fact their mechanic had been so chivalrous as to not try and sleep with the drunk girl while he had a chance only cemented it for Dom. "Why do you think that is?"

Her shoulders shrugged. "No idea. It's probably some new elaborate mind game he's planning. Let's be nice to Sam, she'll never see that one coming."

For such a smart woman, Samantha was oblivious to some obvious things it seemed. Santiago wanted to comment but suppressed it with a knowing smirk. She was young and she deserved the surprises life still had in store for her. He hoped she never did see it coming until it was right there in front of her face. It made him chuckle and Sam gave him a curious look. He decided to throw her off the trail a little longer.

"You're right, I'm sure whatever Baird's up to is no good."

* * *

><p>"You know what your problem is? It's not that you don't know how to turn off, it's that you can't even remember what it's like to turn back on and feel any more. You're always off," She had said, her tone hurt. Her words cut deeper than she thought though.<p>

"You think that I don't know what it's like to feel?" He asked insulted with the volume of his voice rising. How could she even say such a thing? Marcus tried to keep his hands from trembling with the anger he felt rising, but she was right. He turned off and tried to keep cool when saying, "You should go."

"Why, so you can sit here and keep bottling everything up? Never talking to anyone?" Anya snapped. "Jesus Christ, Marcus … I'm trying to help you. I love you."

He'd never heard those words from her before. She meant them, but hadn't meant to say them. Anya swallowed the stiff knot in her throat and tried to come to terms with what she'd just done. As always she was met with Marcus' trademark silence and his expression hardened further, if that was even possible. Why were they fighting? Anya tried to recall. She'd asked him to come out with her, to have a drink and feel normal again and he refused. Of course he would and she tried to press him further on the issue, asking again, pulling softly on his hand. That had been when he lost it and snapped at her.

"_I don't want to fucking go, drop it." _

She was still waiting for his response to her revelation. Nothing. He was looking at her though, expecting one too. Her chest sunk with a bit of a sigh which could have been the precursor to a thought, but she took it back prematurely thinking better. It had been too long having to carry on conversations by herself, she'd said more than what she'd came for. So it was time to leave.

He should apologize, Marcus thought to himself sitting on the darkened sands and replaying the events of an hour before. It wasn't fair what he'd put her through, but she knew how things would be with him that it would only get worse as she stuck around. Didn't she understand everything around him died? He missed Dom. His best friend would have had this figured out all ready and pulled his ass out of the fire. Right now he should have been literally shoving Marcus towards the celebration and Anya until he pulled his foot out of his mouth and made things right. Santiago always been his balance, he was the other side of the coin. Where Marcus was collected, calm and could see things for their black and white moralities, Dom was always the people person and lived for the grey areas. Marcus was aloof and cold, Dom was sensitive and generous. Dom had always made sure he never went too far off the deep end without coming back but now Fenix realized he was losing sight of land and drifting further out than he had in a long time.

Was this heart ache? It felt so utterly literal Sam wanted to grip her chest where the pain resonated deep inside. She didn't cry, she didn't feel worth the tears at this point and was still operating in a state of almost disbelief. The words Baird had said were so cruel and without reason she almost couldn't believe it had happened. It had and in front of several others though. So it wasn't surprising she left shortly afterwards and now strolled by herself across the moonlit Azura beach, a wine glass in one hand and the corked bottle in the other. Sam wore no shoes, she arrived comfortably in a pair of cut off linen shorts and a tank top, with her hair pinned back and wrapped up in her bandana. She definitely wanted to be left alone, but she knew of someone else who had always said as much and sought their company so they could be alone together. If that made sense. There he was. Her glassy brown eyes focused on the giant form cutting a broad silhouette on the beach. She didn't care much about making noise and the glass clinked softly against the ring on her finger with her steps, alerting Fenix before she could personally. He was clearly about to say something but stopped when he looked at her, and let Sam take a seat at his side. At first he was sure she'd come as Anya's noble defender here to berate him, but there wasn't the fire in her eyes for that.

"Wanna drink with me?" She asked like this wasn't odd at all.

"No." Marcus grumbled and turned away.

"Fine. Then I'm just going to sit here next to you and drink by myself until you realize that's a bad idea." She said, crossing her legs. He was uncomfortable but she didn't care.

"What are you doing out here Sam?" He finally asked, tired of this game.

"Better out here then in there." With her thumb she pointed back over her shoulder in the direction of the tower. "I can't believe that asshole…"

"Baird?" He'd heard. It wasn't of his concern.

"Yeah."

Fenix failed to reply right away. Sam sipped from her full glass of wine and settled further into the sand. He finally said, "That's why Gears aren't supposed to fraternize."

"HAH!" Her laugh was sharp and immediate. "That's real funny Fenix. You tell Anya that?"

It wasn't like Sam to wear her heart on her sleeve or have such a short fuse with him. Up until recently he also would have said it wasn't even possible for her to sleep with Damon Baird either but here they were. Marcus growled long and low, feeling the sting of her words. Somewhere he could hear Dom telling him he deserved it too. Her amused look was fading quickly as she noticed his frown.

"I'm sorry, I didn't come out here to give you relationship advise," Sam sighed and took a pregnant sip from her quickly waning glass. "I clearly have no room to talk. I need to ask you something."

"What?"

"I want transferred out."

"_What?_"

"I don't know, out of Delta at least. Maybe back to Anvil Gate or Vectes Naval Base for a bit, settle my head. I don't feel like myself anymore, I'm not acting like myself anymore and it scares the piss out of me."

He understood her urge. They'd seen so much in these past days it only made sense to want to go far far away now, but that clearly wasn't the only thing driving her to take off now. The wine was probably to blame a bit, but she just didn't want to have to see Baird's face again after what he had done either. Marcus wasn't so cruel as to outright deny her request though, they were in the same boat he'd come to realize.

"The war is over and now you're getting scared? The COG is gone Sam, you can do whatever you want, you don't need my permission." He informed her.

"Shut up, you'll always be my Sergeant, Sergeant." She smiled at him.

He ran a hand back through his sweaty hair, not wanting to say it. "If you feel the same way in the morning then I'll draw up the papers."

She checked her watch to see just how far away morning was, enough she could pack her bags and catch a nap which was a relief. Her cheeks felt warm despite the cool breeze coming off the ocean and the aching of her heart seemed to dull when she set those more painful thoughts aside. Looking at Marcus, Sam suddenly felt very selfish again. He wanted to ask her about Dom, she'd been the last to talk to him but wouldn't prod another's sore wounds, she had enough of them. Sam was still looking at him and he didn't care for it because she seemed to be looking through him at that moment in time. She knew.

"You know sometimes I don't remember he's gone Marcus. I was going to turn around and tell him something today when I finally remembered. He should be here." Sam lifted her glass and bottle of wine to the sky even though she didn't even want to drink anymore. There after the glass was settled firmly to her right and she uncorked the bottle, unexpectedly pouring a small handful of sand into it. Marcus was curious enough to take the wine bottle from her without asking. He noted it was empty, of wine at least. Holding it up to the moon he could see something was in there all rolled up, another something else rattling inside, and now the sand. Looking back to Sam, she was all ready with her explanation.

"It's a message in a bottle. I didn't get to say good bye to him, so I decided to tonight. I wrote the letter in there, put in something personal of mine and now," she let some more sand run between her fingers, "a little bit of paradise."

There wasn't a body or a grave, not even his COG tags. No one had really been bold enough to bring up the word funeral to him, but it made sense. They all still needed to mourn. How was it Sam almost made it beautiful?

"You're looking at me like I'm crazy," Sam chuckled nervously and reached for her drink.

"No, it's … it's nice."

"Mm, I figured a great man deserved a great send off." Sam finished her glass, and handed Marcus the cork to the bottle. Standing up, she started to brush off her legs. "Do you want to do the honors? I can't throw it far enough away from the tide."

It didn't feel exactly right, sharing this grief with her but not entirely wrong either. It wasn't going to be easy finding someone with a set on them big enough to replace Sam's he thought. He stood up too, body aching and grumbled about as much. She watched and nodded as he wedged the cork back in the top of the bottle before hurling it out into the ocean before them end over end. It went too far for them to spot it land but they heard the splash, and then it was silent. For a little while longer, the two decided to just stand there quietly, alone and together.


	12. Chapter 12

[ First and foremost my apologies, I know this chapter is late and it's shorter than the others too. It was a little hard to get back into my writing last week, I met my own soldier and got a bit distracted. Sorry ;) Sadly he's been deployed now though, so you guys have my undivided attention back. Enjoy! ]

The renewed day did nothing to change the opinions formed the night before and as she rose after only several hours of sleep Sam was ready to face the day and decisions before her. The idea of going home had been rolling around in her head for the better part of half a day now and it was sounding more and more appealing by the moment. As she shoved the few personal and clothing items she could call her own into a beaten down duffel bag she heard the island of Azura waking as well with the sound of voices outside her door growing louder by the minute. It hadn't taken long for a clean up and salvage operation to get underway despite Prescott having deserted the COG, leaving it in pieces. Those pieces came together with UIR assistance and she would have guessed the place was alive with nearly half a thousand soldiers and civilian contractors tripping over one another. There were too many cooks in the kitchen and as much as she wanted to stay here in this paradise she was a Gear, a grunt who served the frontline purposes and then moved on. Now that all the bullets to block were fired it was time to find another frontline to defend she supposed. Where better than Anvil Gate and what better time than now? She felt changed. Older, more knowledgeable certainly but with a solid new purpose; to bring peace to her home. There were other feelings too, ones she would deny herself of until they just stopped showing up. Yes she was still embarrassed and angry at having been taken advantage and made such a fool, but she also was mad at herself for starting to fall for someone again so soon. As much as she'd told herself and Anya it was just sex between Baird and her she had started to take to the idea of him liking her, and maybe she'd taken to the idea of liking him too. Of course events of the night prior certainly dashed all of those hopes and emotions to put her two feet firmly back on Sera's soil.

_Could you have imagined it? Samantha Byrne making herself a one man woman for Delta's Princess. _The voice in her head asked hypothetically. Yes she could have imagined it, she already had. The voice was right though, it was an absolutely ridiculous thought. That was certainly enough of those for now though and the female Gear zipped shut and tossed the bag over her shoulder hoping if she left the room fast enough maybe she'd be able to leave the nagging doubts and all behind. The sunlight exploded into her quarters as the door opened and she raised a single hand to shield her eyes momentarily. Upon adjusting to the sudden light difference she could see that the island wasn't just busy anymore, it was a mad house. The five hundred people had doubled over night it seemed and she didn't recognize any of the faces as she stepped out onto one of the many cobblestone sidewalks. Almost every inch of shoreline had a ship pulled up to it, woefully ruining the lovely view of the ocean and horizon. It would be alright though, once she was on one of those ships she'd have that view back. Which one was hers though? That something she'd have to hunt down Fenix to find out, along with her papers. Hoffman would have to sign off on all of it when she got to Anvil Gate to make it official and all but she had no doubt he'd be glad to have her there. It was her first day in some time she could recall being completely off duty but even then she was still ready to go. Her armor was crammed in the bag that bounced off her back with each step as she as she walked, leaving her feeling almost uncomfortable in just a pair of cargo shorts, an army green tank and her boots. When the more than occasional pair of eyes gave her the 'elevator stare' she grew tired of uncomfortably looking away and started to rebut them with her own hardened glower.

As had been said, how she was ever going to find anyone in all this commotion was a mystery at the moment but she figured if she walked long enough she could locate someone who knew something. That had always been the Delta way, just keep charging ahead until your plans were forced to turn out right. There were always too many bumps in the road to think they could 'have a plan.' So what about this? What was going to get in her way this time? _Nothing, that's what. _The voice was refreshingly supportive and Sam lifted her head a bit higher as she walked. She'd been looking for a bit now and was heading towards the side of the island the Eastern wing of Azura lay on, it had suffered the most damage in the invasion and needed the most attention. It was only getting busier the closer she got, which she didn't mind. People seemed to notice her less here. It would be a lie to say she wasn't getting a bit frustrated though.

"-how is that my fault? There's no power because there's no emulsion! I'm a genius, not a friggin miracle worker."

Her blood iced over. _Fucking Baird. _

Looking towards the remains of a second floor balcony she saw him now standing across from Marcus, neither of whom had noticed her just yet. Samantha found she had stopped in her steps as several passers by began to bump into her static form. What should she do? Why did she have to see him again out of the now thousands of people here? Fenix glanced into the crowd and spotted her not too long after. It looked like he was going to wave to her, and thought better of it. The slight action didn't evade Baird's attention who was still complaining to the Sergeant. He immediately followed the other man's gaze.

* * *

><p>The knot in his throat was threatening to choke off his air supply. Just the look of her had been enough to knock the wind from him and now she was staring him down. He looked away first to Marcus, never a man for much emotion he now seemed almost amused. Yes, Baird felt bad. He'd overreacted and purposefully blew up the relationship him and Sam had set on solid ground because…because that was what he did right? He destroyed things. It wasn't the first time he'd gotten out of line with Sam however and maybe in a few days she'd let it go, like usually. What had he been talking about before hand? It was temporarily lost to Damon, especially when he saw that Sam was actually approaching them. She didn't seem to have much of a difficult time ascending the balcony's staircase, though nearly half of it was crumbling. He wondered why she wasn't in her gear today, but didn't complain. Her legs looked good in those shorts.<p>

Nothing was said even when she stopped next to the two men. Sam never looked at him again. Fenix reached inside one of thee cargo pockets hooked to his belt and handed her several sheets of paper folded into a square. He should really apologize, hell he _wanted _to. If he hadn't been such an idiot he realized he would have probably woken up to that woman next to him this morning. Hell, Sam knew him. He'd killed her favorite plant before and she'd still forgiven him. Surely she missed their joking as much as he did.

"Don't worry Sam, Marcus already told me all the tests came back negative," Baird teased as she looked over the paperwork. It didn't take him long to watch his joke fall flat making this all the more uncomfortable and awkward.

There was a falter in her steps when he spoke but she finished setting down her duffle bag to set the papers inside. The silent treatment huh? The corner of his mouth drooped. If being an asshole didn't get her attention he was at a loss for words. Sam wasn't however, and took a few serious steps toward the man when she was done putting things away. Suddenly Damon was aware that she wasn't playing along at all. Her finger pressed against the center of his armor's chest and she spoke low, warning him.

"This is your last and only warning Damon. Leave me the **fuck **alone. You're a socially stunted man-child who is nearly incapable of achieving normal human relations because of his own emotional shortcomings and inadequacies. You're a cancer Damon and I am removing you from my life," she hissed.

Her breath was hot on his face as she leaned in to illustrate her point and Baird could feel his heart pounding in his chest now. There had been a moment when he thought maybe he'd have a chance to kiss her when she approached initially. Yeah right. She'd cut him to the bone in a matter of sentences. Her finger left his chest and Sam snatched up her bag, departing with just a nod to Fenix. Baird had been right, Marcus was amused by this.

"I'm going to miss her," he said.

She was leaving? Like leaving leaving? Baird cleared his throat, having already lost sight of her form in the crowd. The idea of never seeing her again did nothing to ease the hurt, and he muttered bitterly turning to make an exit himself, "I say good riddance to the bitch."


	13. Chapter 13

[ So I do feel bad for not updating for so long but lots of things in my life had to take priority over this. Anyway this is the last chapter I'd been working on before the real world came and kicked my ass. It's not perfect but you guys deserve it! ]

How did normal people deal with the sorts of problems and emotions which pertained to courtship? Not to mention all the unspoken rules of engagement and fair play as well… It wasn't to say Damon was a complete stranger to 'the game,' but he had been out of it for some time and never before had a partner so competent, complicated and frustrating as Sam. Not to be mistaken, he was still upset with her if she knew it or not. It just went to show women couldn't be trusted no matter what. Give an inch, take a mile and all that. _Too bad 'trusting' isn't one of the verbs you and Sam are good at. Think more thrusting, grunting and fornicating_, he mocked himself internally. The thought forced Baird to grunt out loud as he peeled off his thermal under shirt and tossed it in the bottom of a vacant locker. There was some lingering of her scent in his clothes and he could smell her like a haunting apparition. It was getting harder to stay angry with her still on his mind and her dried sweat on his body. It was getting harder to…well it was just plain getting harder.

The blue prints and schematics of Azura had been enough to make his eyes cross when he'd been first entrusted with them but it was the right decision and naturally one of the first things he'd been sure to locate and reroute upon finding was the boiler. Of course it couldn't be a normal boiler or even close, it was actually a component of the maelstrom device and attached to the water cooling system also used to create the tropical pressure and conditions needed for storm they had hidden the island in. It was only on par with his good fortune that the moment he stepped away from Delta they would discover the inner workings of a device that could literally change the forces of nature and then break it. And who did they always expect to fix it? The point was he had the hot water up and running for now, was going to take a much deserved shower and try and clear his head if he could.

Around every corner Azura still held plenty of surprises. The private gym wasn't too much of a shock to the senses at least and had been cleared out on the first day to set up a triage center. Now it was a command station for General Trechu and the Gorasni and the showers were open to the public. Baird was grumbling something about athlete's foot and toe fungus to himself as his bare feet padded across the tile floor and towards the row of shower heads sticking out of the far wall. Several others were there as well but remained silent and their forms shadowed in the fog.

"Uuughnn," he crooned with relief stepping under the piping hot stream. The man leaned forward and rest his forehead against the comparatively cooler tile wall so the water could run down his back and ease the aching knots. Several spots on his shoulders seemed to be burning more intently under the water and he craned his head to investigate. "Shiiiiiiit."

On each shoulder blade there were four crescent shaped scrapes that drug outward into scratch marks, Sam had definitely left her mark. It made him smirk remembering how wide her eyes got when she saw his cock for the first time and how she'd had to make him slow down. He hoped she was still feeling it too. A little enraptured in his reminiscing Baird hadn't almost noticed the chuckle, but certainly felt the eyes. It was just another grunt but he'd seen Baird eyeing the claw marks.

"That's the only problem with the COG buddy I've always said," this stranger did indeed say. "Not enough tail! All of this saving the world shit makes women just lose their panties and there's only like six bitches on this entire island combined."

Baird wasn't enjoying this. He hadn't even talked to Cole about Sam, like hell he was going to open up to some stranger. It had been several hours since he'd overheard what was of course a private conversation between Sam and Anya, but he was sore about it. The other soldier was either blind to social cues or just didn't give a fuck. He sat on the edge of bench and pulled off his boots, still talking.

"Yeah, it's probably for the best though. COG girls are just the same as others, they still get all wrapped up with you once you take 'em home."

Unsuccessfully he had tried to not let the conversation draw him in. Baird had even stuck his head under the water to drown out some of the words but they rang true to his vulnerable sensibilities. He didn't know this asshole from Adam, what was it going to hurt letting a few things slip?

"You're telling me," Baird lead on...

* * *

><p>"No like this, put your fingers right next to the laces," he instructed from his spot right behind the woman. One hand rest on her shoulder and the other guided her right arm back and through the throwing motion of the thrash ball in her hand. "See? You want it to spin when you release the ball. Just let it roll off your fingers."<p>

"Huh!" She chortled, impressed by the distance she'd been able to throw the ball after a bit of instruction and practice.

"I told you you could throw!" Carmine encouraged, stepping back from Sam and regretfully taking his hands off her. She turned around to face him, still wearing a smug grin.

Anya wouldn't speak to her this morning anymore after she'd said her piece. Basically she called Sam a coward, told her it wasn't the end of the world, and that running away wasn't going to solve anything. They weren't the words she'd been looking for from a trusted friend, especially after her encounter with Baird so a bit bitterly Samantha had gone on her way, locating the ship she was going to head out on. It was a beast of a naval vessel brought in by the UIR so seating didn't look like it was going to be a problem. That was when she found Clayton, or rather he found her. He didn't mention Baird, the previous night or the fact she was hours from departure. Rather bashfully he had just raised the thrash ball in his hand and asked if she played. Once or twice as a kid she'd been invited by the boys in the neighborhood to fill in when one of their other buddies was unavailable, but otherwise this was pretty foreign to her. Like most things Sam caught on quick and she and Clay moved down to the beach where they could play interrupted. The sand made her steps difficult when she ran to catch her friend's long tosses, but it didn't seem to affect her game.

Thinking to himself, Clay was glad Sam was far enough away she wouldn't notice him smiling. There wasn't a day that passed her wasn't continually amazed by her and today she did it again. Twelve or more yards down the beach she was taking a moment to catch her breath, bent over with her hands on her knees. Even windless Sam was ever the shit talker and she raised her head to yell.

"You gonna throw that thing or cradle it Carmine?"

The smile spread. He pulled his arm back and released the ball with a snap. Up until now he'd been taking it easy on her, no more. The ball sailed long, easily passing the first twelve yards up to where Sam had stood. She was off now, running again and checking back over her shoulder as to not lose sight of the ball in the bright sky. It looked good, bound to be at least a thirty yard pass when completed but Sam wasn't going to be the one to complete it. Glancing back one last time over her shoulder it was then from out of no where she felt like she got knocked back on her ass by a brick house. No not a house, a train.

"Wooo! DE-FENCE BABY!" Cole laughed, intercepting the ball rather casually right before Sam's feet. He hadn't really hit her that hard, she was a girl after all and it didn't take much more than an outward palm to the chest to stop her forward momentum.

She started laughing too and took the encompassing hand he offered, pulling her butt up out of the sand which she started to immediately brush off. From behind her Clay came trotting up the beach, joining his fellow Gears.

"I should have known, Cole can practically smell the pig-skin once you start throwing it around." He joked. "Wanna join?"

Cole tossed Clayton his ball back, still chuckling which caused his broad shoulders to heave. He really _did_ want to take up that offer but had come here under other pretenses. "Haha some other time, k? I actually wanted to talk to Sam for a moment."

_Aaah shit_, she thought with her hands still perched on her hips. Samantha looked to Clayton, her eyes screaming desperately for him to not leave her and let this happen. Clay felt for her cause but had to weigh his options. Sam was leaving today, Cole would still be here tomorrow. Sam might get mad and yell, but Cole was a (gentle) monster of a man shoved into some COG armor. He chose Cole's side and gave Sam a apologetic wince.

"Yeah uh, I'll be…," he looked and gestured towards Azura in the not so distance, "you know."

Cole's face was soft and sympathetic, which meant Sam automatically threw up the walls that amounted to her emotional defense. He was clearly here to try and make her second guess her decision which the woman would take as an insult. This all happened because other people's noses found their way into her business and she was adamant to never let such a thing happen again.

* * *

><p>The sliding bay door to the garage had been left partially open as to allow in some of the day's sunlight and so that Baird didn't look like a completely antisocial asshole cut off from the world as he sat quietly at his bench working on JACK. The small screwdriver that was pinched precariously between his thumb and forefinger so he could tighten the final few screws on the bot's display screen went flying with a sudden crash. Cole had stepped into the open doorway, blotting out the sun as he slammed the shutter door the rest of the way open. The man was worked up with some sweat beading on his forehead.<p>

"You're a real fucking idiot sometimes you know," Cole informed him as he stepped right in front of the man's work bench.

"Whoa woah," Baird stuttered, blue eyes widening as he stood slowly from his seat. "Can we rewind like thirty seconds? Because you must have me confused with someone else buddy."

"You're a fucking idiot Baird! I know you like breaking things just so you can fix them but Sam isn't one of your projects. She's not going to forgive you for this if you don't go and do something about it now." As Cole said this he didn't realize his 'genius' friend would take it as an option, not a command.

"What makes you think I care if Sam forgives me?" Snorted Baird, cocking his head to the side after. Sometimes he forgot how strong Cole was. Not now. He didn't see it coming and the former defensive lineman shoved him back into the wall so hard he felt some of the dry wall behind him crack. He hadn't seen Augustus truly mad in some time either and never at him. Up until now. He wasn't about to be intimidated though., not at least just yet. He was pulling himself out of the wall when Cole hopped the bench, grabbed him by the collar and finished the job.

"Are you fucking crazy Cole?" Baird shouted, trying to push himself free.

"Either you get your punk ass on that ship now or I'm throwing you in after it!" The monstrous Gear bellowed at him.

"GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!" Baird snarled back, still struggling on his tip-toes as Cole refused to release his grip..

"This is your last chance. If you don't get her now, she's gone Damon. I know you like to pretend you don't care about anything but sooner or later you won't be pretending anymore and you're just going to be bitter and alone. You have officially fucked up bad son and this is your only chance to even try to make it right. Why can't you just admit that?"

"Because what if I do and she doesn't forgive me anyways?" He broke at last. "At least this way I'm in control of what the outcome will be."

Cole had released him as they spoke, knowing Damon was starting to deflate and he heard it in the defeat in his voice. It was absolutely ridiculous. He shoved his friend again, this time not so hard but just enough to make him stumble back a bit.

"I can't believe this. The day I would see Damon Baird being a little bitch!" He taunted.

"_Hey!"_

"Don't 'hey' me you little ass white boy! Oh boo-hoo! Look at me, my name's Baird and I can help kill the fuckin queen of the grubs but I'm scared to talk to a giiiirrrl!" He shoved him again.

"_HEY! _SHUT UP!"

"Then prove me wrong! What are you going to go do? Are you going to sit here and play with your toys?" Cole mocked in his face.

"I'll talk to her alright," Baird grumbled, not completely thrilled with the idea yet.

" What's that, I didn't hear you? Do you need someone to change your diaper?"

"I'M GOING TO TALK TO HER, ALRIGHT!"

Suddenly Augustus wasn't baring over him and booming anymore, it was Baird doing all of that. He was worked into a damn frenzy with his chest and cheeks puffed up. His buddy was right, he had nothing to lose now which gave a man a certain sense of braveness, almost invincibility. Cole shoved him towards the door with a smile. He had always been pretty good at the pep talks and getting his team pumped up. It was good to see he still had it in him.

Baird took off in a sprint, not looking back over his shoulder as he called. "JACK, c'mon."

He shook his head but left the bay in a hurry, he knew Sam's ship was leaving soon. Cole had him feeling like he could take on a whole other war after that talk and he held on tight to that confidence now. Sam could smell weakness and she was going to be looking of any dent in his armor. He probably should have had a plan.


	14. Chapter 14

[ Wow, I bet you guys thought you would never see this huh. A new chapter! Basic explanations: Life's hard, harder without internet! Things get me busy but I didn't forget! ]

'_You're giving up paradise' / 'running away isn't an answer' / 'thought you were better than this…' _The half dozen voices still rang in her head, but not as loudly now. Maybe they were drown out by the sound of the ocean lapping against the vessel's hull or had just began to grow hoarse after all their protesting she was unsure, but none the less eternally grateful. Sam had taken a spot on the port side of the large war ship facing out into the seemingly endless ocean where some where on the other side she was convinced a new and better future awaited. Nerves still ate at her empty stomach but her excitement was ever growing as time passed. This was the right decision.

Without quite realizing it Samantha had started to smile and also gathered the attention of more than a few of her fellow shipmates, both staff and fellow travelers alike. That was something she chose to ignore rather than having to spend the rest of the trip threatening any over confident male who crossed her lines with emasculation. There were just too many to deal with and she did want to enjoy some of the ride after all.

The papers she'd retrieved from Fenix earlier remained neatly folded in the palm of her hand and occasionally tucked into the cargo pockets of her shorts. It was her golden ticket out of here but had somehow started to weigh more heavy as the day grew on. There was no turning back now and so once more she put the note away. She knew something for certain, when she reached Avengad there would be questions as to why she left Delta Squad so abruptly. Hoffman wouldn't pry much but Bernie would certainly be looking for a satisfactory explanation. It was time to start concocting a reasonable story that didn't feature Baird for when she arrived.

He was certainly still haunting her but Samantha wasn't mourning the loss as much anymore. She just needed a distraction until they set sail and there were plenty milling about above deck all around her. Turning her back to the railing and leaning into it the sea of eyes were quick to avert but one set a little slower than the others. He was young, maybe a few years her junior even, very tan with short black hair slicked in several directions and most intriguing to her, shirtless. The top he must have started out in was hanging out the back pocket of his pants while a burning cigarette hung from his lips. The kid couldn't have looked more nervous as she approached either.

"You got an extra one of those?" Sam asked. She didn't smoke, save for the occasional celebratory cigar Dizzy sometimes shared with her but now seemed like a good time to start.

* * *

><p>Baird didn't much care for people that much was obvious but trying to make his way through the mass of civilian contractors and soldiers that cluttered Azura's cobblestone streets was not only not helping his disdain for them, but actually starting to make the Gear feel a bit claustrophobic. He felt like he was swimming up stream and the hurried run he'd left the garage in was now slowed to an awkward pace as he dodged, weaved around and bumped in to more people than he was willing to apologize too.<p>

Even though the dock was almost on the other side of the island dozens of ships had surrounded the place now, they were constantly taking off and arriving. How was he going to find the one Sam was on in all of this? That question at the moment was far more important than what he would do and say to her once he had located it. If he ever did.

Frustrated Baird broke free of the crowd so he could catch his breath and hear himself think. Someone had to know where Sam was. Sure, Fenix probably did but he didn't want to have to explain himself to Sergeant and get mocked for it if he didn't have to. Duh! He put a finger to the wireless communications piece in his ear.

"Stroud, do you copy?" He huffed blue eyes nervously searching his surroundings, hoping there was some chance maybe he would find Sam here on the street. The chances of that were as likely as her coming to him and apologizing of course. There was no response which he knew was bullshit. Anya never didn't answer, unless she didn't want to. "Stroud, it's Baird! Answer me!"

There was a barely audible click from the other end. He knew she was there, and probably just as upset with him as Sam.

"Listen Stroud, -"

"No you listen, Damon," Anya's voice in his ear interrupted. "There is only one thing you had better called about, and it's not the damn genera-"

"Anya, _shut up!" _Baird hissed. "I need to know what ship Sam is on."

There was a short pause before she asked, "Why? Are you going to apologize to her?"

Damon Baird didn't apologize! Right? He realized he was grinding his teeth and replied through them, "Yeah something like that…"

"Pier 2, it's the UIR ship The Constant but you better hurry…" The pleasure in Stroud's voice was oozing through the earpiece as Baird pulled it out. Of course he would hurry.

* * *

><p>"I thought you I heard a Kashkuri accent," Sam half-observed and half-teased. She saw the boy's cheeks blush and tried to hide her own satisfied smile. Teasing was fun. "My mother was too. She was a translator actually which is how she met my father in Anvil Gate."<p>

The kid, whose name happened to be Noah scrunched up his still slightly rosy face. "I hate that place."

"Hey! Watch your mouth.." She laughed.

"I'm sorry, but you've got that brick shit house of a Colonel stomping around all the time, and he's not even the worst of it … It's not even him that really scares me. It's his wife! That woman's stare could turn a man to stone," said Noah all too earnestly.

His candor made her continue to laugh, a bit of smoke pluming from her lips as she did. He hadn't taken his eyes off her since she'd approached. Out of everyone Noah still wondered why Sam was talking to him but made absolutely no complaints about it. She was gorgeous and he could feel the jealousy of his shipmates boiling up around them.

"That's Hoffman and Bernie and they're both really nice people once you get to know them," Sam protested.

"You know when people say that I've find it typically just means 'Oh they're a dick, but you'll get used to it.' "

"Nah, they're different honestly, but I know a lot of those sorts you're talking about too..

It wasn't too hard to observe the dark thoughts passing through her mind as her face started to harden a bit and she lost her light hearted demeanor for now. She leaned forward against the railing silently wondering where that dick she had gotten used to was and what he was even up to right now. Not missing her obviously. Noah could tell he was losing her interest and cleared his throat while continuing to try and not blow this whole unexplainable moment.

"Listen, whatever it is it's not my business but it's really probably not worth dwelling on," he advised timidly, hands folded behind his back. "We just reclaimed life on Sera, some asshole or whoever or whatever it is, is really insignificant in comparison don't you think?"

There was the faintest turning of her mouth's corners. She broke down and ribbed him, "Just my luck I find the one smart Gorasni soldier on this ship to try and bullshit."

"Smart? I'm practically just a friggin' custodian here," he undersold himself, pushing the toe of his boot against the ships deck. He could hear, or more correctly, feel the motor's starting to wurr to life deep in the belly of the beast they stood upon. "Looks like we're taking off soon. We should go down to the lower deck, you know, get a better view of the island."

"We?" Sam asked, very voice interested. She was starting to admire the brass on this kid too.

He wasn't sure he even had a chance with her, but Noah wasn't going to let an opportunity like this slip through his hands, it had been a long and lonely time on The Constant. She made him nervous and his reply came a bit stuttered. "Well you know, I just meant, if you _wanted_ ..

This felt good, the whole moment and conversation. She'd been right to find herself a distraction, with a little help from her UIR rebound Baird could be just an ugly pothole in her past.

* * *

><p><em>Oh fuck<em>

_Ooooh fuck me,_

_Fuck me…_

"Fuck me!" Baird panted inaudibly. The docks hadn't seemed so far away but given his COG Armor, the intense heat, ever rising sun and the bustling nature of Azura he found himself well out of wind before he'd even made it half way there. Sweat was everywhere, hanging from his brow and nose dripping onto his parched lips mockingly and starting to pool in the bottom of his boots most unpleasantly. Did this stop him? Of course not, but it did start to hinder his progression as every ragged breath he tried to gasp just burnt his lungs and his legs were constantly shaking with exhaustion. It didn't matter, he'd crawl there if he had to Baird told himself. He'd crawl right back to her on his hands and knees if that's what it came down to. But it wouldn't.

The crowd ebbed and flowed around him, people seemingly more aware of each other's personal space in this mass for whatever reason as he approached the industrial pier now. He could see the dock and that it branched off several times, different ships parked at every one and people milling in and out. Anya said Sam was on The Constant, great… so he could either try and personally check every ship here or …

"Hey! I'm *_huff* _looking for the _*huff*_ The Constant," Damon tried to authoritatively demand from the first lower ranking soldier he could find who tried to pass by. It was hard to appear intimidating though when one was half hunched over and on the verge of puking.

It was hard to tell if the kid was really smiling or if the smarmy tone in his voice was something Baird only thought he heard when he said with a chuckle, "Yeah. Ya see it?"

He pointed out to the ocean, to the silhouette of a ship several hundred yards away and counting. "Looks like ya just missed her buddy…."


	15. Chapter 15

"You don't understand, I have to get on that ship," Baird said, grabbing the younger man he'd previously stopped by his elbow as he started to continue on his way.

The soldier's face slacked, blanking with confusion before his eyes widened and brow raised in a humoring sort of way, "Oh well of course, right away I'll alert the Gorasni Navy and have them turn around for you. General … "

"It's Corporal," he corrected.

The soldier rolled his eyes, "Well then with all due respect Corporal, go fuck yourself. The Constant is the fleet's most well stocked supply ship and if it doesn't make it to Vectus Naval Base on time I'm going to have a lot of angry officers up my ass to answer to. Whatever you think is so important on that ship I can tell you, isn't."

Every ounce of testosterone and machismo was advising from both shoulders into his ears that Damon should punch this guy without a second thought but he let it slide because that wasn't going to help him get any closer to Samantha. It would probably just wind up getting him detained is all, he needed a way to stop the Constant dead in the water at the very least and get it back to the dock in the best case. The idea he had was so inconceivably stupid it was the only thing Baird thought he might have a chance with. It could ruin his career and would result in more than a few angry officers up his own ass, but it had to be done.

"Listen here asshole if you don't listen to me that ship isn't even going to make it Vectus," he started off growling lowly to Seaman. It was enough to get his attention and take away some of the smugness in his smile but that wasn't enough for Baird. He needed some theatrics. "There is a BOMB on that ship and if you don't turn it around now all those supplies and people on it will be at the bottom of the ocean long before it ever makes it to Vectus Naval Base!"

The selective raise in his tone effectively brought an end to the conversations and busy shuffle of people working the pier. Yeah, that would do it.

The man he now identified as Chief Petty Officer Willings from the patches on his uniform gave Baird a steeled look and hoarse warning, "You do understand a false bomb threat is punishable by discharge and prison time."

Was this shithead really trying to call his bluff? He grit his teeth, hoped Samantha was attracted to the convicted felon type and bit back, "I wonder how much time you get for letting a hundred men and women die? Want to keep playing what if or prevent a god damn catastrophe?"

Willings took a glance over each shoulder, assessing the situation that had been created. Enough people had overheard their conversation that a panic could spread if this wasn't dealt with correctly. He swallowed his pride and did the only thing he could.

"Willings to Lieutenant McMahon," he spoke into his collar, pressing the small comm button on his armor though his eyes never left Baird. "We have an unconfirmed report of an explosive device on board The Constant. Requesting the ship return to Azura ASAP."

"Unconfirmed?" Baird scoffed "Check with Delta Squad, they'll back me up."

He knew Willings would and that no matter who they spoke with he'd be uncovered eventually and be ending this day in a pair of handcuffs. It was just a blind hope that the naval vessel would make it back in time before he was carted off. 

* * *

><p>Someday in the future she would be telling her children about this day she was certain. Undoubtedly they would hear stories of the war from herself and countless others but there was likely no other day Samantha was sure she would remember so vividly as her and humanity's first day of real freedom and everything it now represented. The Constant had left the dock without a hitch and seemed to bob within the shallow waters for several minutes before the floating goliath began to pick up speed slowly but surely propelling them into the freedoms of the endless ocean. Noah who was still on duty had been stolen away from her by a superior officer not too long after the voyage had gotten underway leaving Byrne to start thinking about not much else than her newfound independence. Make no mistake, she remained up beat as the image of Azura's great tower grew smaller and smaller in the distance and the sun shown down heavy on the open deck where she took a seat on her duffle bag and opened a small leather bound journal in her lap. As always despite her best efforts to write the margin's of the pages took on more doodles than words in the book's. All one would have to do was look back at the pages before to see this was what usually happened but also where the birth of many of her tattoo concepts had started. That was something for certain, when she got to dry land she was getting inked. Hell she would have attempted to start a piece on herself here on the ship if the motion of the waves didn't make it such an unsuitable work environment.<p>

The sun glared off the paper too intently for her to be able to get anything further down on it without a headache. Sam closed the book, pen marking her page and leaned her head back against the railing behind her. Her fellow shipmates had seemed to have gotten over the appearance of a woman amongst them and milled about with their general duties leading her to think she might have been able to catch an undisturbed nap on this voyage. It couldn't have been long after she closed her eyes that she heard the rise of questioning voices and the vessel slowed to a stop but it took a moment for her dozing mind to come round, eyes opening to a world too damn bright at first. Sam shaded her vision with the back of one hand and used the other to push her numb ass up off her duffle bag. The crew shifted nervously and it seemed that every uniformed man that could be spared had disappeared below deck quite quickly. This wasn't good and the few other passengers that were considered just as unimportant and were just as uniformed as she had caught wind that something was amiss.

She scanned the crowd hoping to find the only other person on the ship whose face and name she knew but he was still no where. Bag hiked up onto her shoulder Sam was more than prepared to start her own investigation when from below deck a surge of Officers and clearly their commanding Captain emerged silencing everyone on board. Within the fray she could spot Noah now, apparently forced to put on his Naval uniform after returning to work. Their Captain was a barrel-chested man with dry dark brown skin you could only get from a lifetime at sea, and his hair was pure white except for the black brows that sat so slow on his forehead she could barely see his eyes beneath them. He wasn't her Captain per say, but Sam could sense the air of respect this man so obviously commanded before she even heard him speak.

"Undoubtedly some of you have noticed the commotion on board within the last several minutes," he said in a tone much less forceful than she had been imagining. "Do to an unsubstantiated claim from someone at Azura's dock regarding the ships integrity it is required that we turn back around and return to the island until the issue can be sorted out."

"_What claim?"_

"_I don't understand!"_

"_Are we safe?"_

Came the many rallying cries of the passengers who were left unsatisfied by the announcement. The Captain raised a hand temporarily silencing the braying so he could speak again.

"This is all the information I am permitted to give to anyone outside the Gorasni Naval Fleet. If all civilian personnel could please return to their quarters in a calm matter until we reach the dock this will all be over shortly-"

It was all she needed to hear. Sam wasn't as distressed as the others, these sort of things happened all the time when it came to government bureaucracy and when especially when it came to the forced cooperation of multiple government bureaucracies. As nonchalantly as she could she moved in to Noah's side amongst his crewmates, and even though he smiled when he saw her she could sense maybe something was off.

"You okay?" He asked, more as just an acknowledgement of her presence than an actual query.

She nodded a silent 'yes' and got down to brass tacks. "So what's really going on?"

He kept his eyes forward and addressed her shortly, "Like the Captain said, we're returning shortly to Azura so that we can address the claim and then continue on our trip."

"Your Captain said it was unsubstantiated, so why are you bothering?"

It was easy to see he didn't want to be so forthcoming with the information, but every time he gave in to take a glance at her Noah couldn't help but find himself thinking '_Man she's pretty'_ before his lips fell open and the words tumbled out. "Apparently the guy who said it is a world class mechanic or some kind of big deal and has some pull."

That pretty face started to sink and he broke formation to turn, noticing his words unsettled Samantha more than they reasonably should have.

"Don't worry, it's just an issue with the ship's engine or something. We'll make it back to dock, have it looked at and be heading out again before sunset," Noah assured, reaching out a hand she brushed away immediately.

"I should have known," she muttered to herself, ducking out of the crowd of suits and towards the portside deck for a little breathing room. "I should have known he was still going to find some way to ruin this..."

_Fucking Baird_


	16. Chapter 16

[ Bum bum bum! First of all I'm glad to have so many new and returning readers who are enjoying the story. There was a bit that I lost my mojo and motivation but after starting back up I know I can't just leave this thing hanging without Sam and Baird making it right. I mean, come on he called in a bomb threat. I think that's sweet personally haha.

I would like to give a shout-out to GEARSGirl5400, B and B are Back and ShadowedSerenity for reading and reviewing. I'm glad to know my cliff hangers keep you guys on the edge of your seat, so for all the love…here's another chapter!]

They were serious about how serious they took this whole bomb threat thing, Baird thought to himself as the COG and other Unified Governments quickly shut down the entire dock and were in the process of evacuating all the other ships near by the harbor. Of course this had drawn the attention of half the island which had come to a dead stop to watch from beyond the cordon point. There were no less than several Commanding Officers by his side at a time, assuring he had no possible chance of escape if that was even a thought. The more time passed and the more he realized that this was a bad _bad _idea however he could see why trying to make a mad dash for it might cross ones mind. He had no idea who Willings had contacted above him in Delta squad, but they had had his back and The Constant was returning as they spoke. The ship moved unbearably slow and he often found his eyes moving out to the crowd knowing it wouldn't be long before Stroud or Fenix arrived to tear him a new one. He hadn't the slightest idea how he was going to rationalize all of this to the others but as it turned out fate granted him the smallest of favors now, allowing Cole to be the first one to push his way through the crowd and then the puny soldiers they had trying to hold the line.

"It's okay, he's with me!" Baird announced, like those words would have any weight or meaning. In fact if it did it would probably just make Cole an accomplice in all of this. For whatever reason that thought made him laugh, something that gave Gorasni Naval Officers even further cause for suspicion as they never strayed too far from his site.

Within a few moments his large fellow Gear made it down the entire hillside they had evacuated most of the staff from. Cole came to a stop just a few feet at Baird's side, the look on his face shocked at the new level of asinine insanity his friend had some how managed to create for himself and everyone else. For Baird it was nice to know he could still surprise the man who knew him best.

"Are you serious?" Cole asked, leaning in so he didn't have to raise his voice. "A bomb threat? You know they're going to string your ass up over this Damon. What the fu-why are you smiling?"

"Because," he chuckled, "you're right. I'm a real fucking idiot sometimes."

He couldn't understand it, maybe the heat had fried the man's brain or the pep talk he'd given him had just been taken completely out of context whatever it was something was definitely off about Baird. For one thing, he just couldn't stop smiling and eagerly looking back towards the horizon as The Constant closed in.

"Shit Damon," Cole laughed too, it was the only thing he could say on the matter. He totally got it now, he hadn't seen that look in the man's eyes since the day in Anvil Gate when he couldn't stop staring back at Sam in front of the Raven.

"I'm the best mechanic this place has got though, I mean really how much trouble can I get in?" Baird asked casually.

"A lot I'm sure." Cole refused to sugar coat that part. Still, he had to think there was something rather sweet about the whole ordeal. "And she's going to be really mad at you."

"I know."

She already was and it was entirely his fault. He had embarrassed her in front her teammates and an entire bar full of soldiers knowing that of most things Sam held her pride in almost the highest regard. Having an entire ship turned around because of her probably wasn't the best apology but as far as Baird was concerned it was a start in the right direction. It wouldn't be long now until The Constant reached the pier and would start to dock so he started to move forward knowing that he didn't have a lot of time left as it was. Surely the Captain had had his own men search the ship after the report was made and after it was confirmed there was indeed no explosive they'd lock him up. His Gorasni 'handlers' and Cole weren't far behind his every step as he approached Willings who stood at the edge of the pier, arms folded rigidly behind his back.

"I should probably tell you guys something," Baird started, running a hand back through his blonde hair.

"Yeah?" Willings asked, voice flat and uninterested in the answer he already knew.

"There's no bomb," Baird admitted with the same cadence as someone who ate the last cookie.

"I figured," the Naval Officer remained unimpressed, "which is why I was really looking forward to getting to do this."

From a pocket he pulled out the thick steel bracelets, making a point to dangle them from a finger in front of Baird's face. It made him think of Sam and his pair of goggles she'd tossed over the side of the ship tauntingly. Hell, if he was going to get arrested he might as well make it worth it right? Easily enough he smacked Willings' hand to the side, knocking the handcuffs over the pier's edge and into the water with a chuckle.

"You didn't expect me to make this easy right?"

What Baird didn't expect was the sudden invitation he'd apparently given to everyone to kick his ass. Willings wasted no time with a right hook that caught him in the nose and the Naval Guard to his immediate right struck him across the stomach with a billy-club, knocking the wind right out of him. If it wasn't for Cole dragging him back up to his feet he was sure the beating might have continued a little longer than necessary in order to 'subdue' him. It was almost impossible to stand back up as he fought to suck in breaths that seemed to do nothing. His eyes were watering but through it he could see The Constant arriving at the dock, it's deck lined with the silhouettes of passengers looking on at the mayhem. Was she there?

"I swear to God when I get off this boat I'm going to kill you Damon Baird!"

* * *

><p>Samantha couldn't be entirely sure how or why, but she knew Baird had sabotaged this ship on purpose. Maybe it was because he hadn't been able to get that one witty quip off at her before she left Azura and effectively his life forever. It was hard to believe someone would be so childish as to just get the last word in, but not so hard to believe if you were to know that someone was Baird. He always seemed to surprise her with new heights of assholery when she least expected it.<p>

The return trip dragged on painfully slow as she watched every inch of water disappear beneath the bow of the ship, her hands gripped tightly to the railing the whole time. Noah fluttered around her constantly, pestering and reassuring and generally doing everything he could to annoy the shit out of her. It took all she could muster to not tell the kid to go fuck off, but her sour mood wasn't his fault and she had lead him on a bit unfairly all things considered.

Why when freedom and a fresh start had been so close did that asshole have to snatch her back here? Granted she had no immediate and tangible proof it was Baird but … come on, it was surely Baird. And when she arrived at the dock all suspicions were confirmed. It was easy to recognize his form and blonde hair, even at a distance.

"I swear to God when I get off this boat I am going to kill you Damon Baird!" She shouted at the top of her lungs so there was no way he wouldn't hear her.

Getting closer, she could see he was half-hunched over with Cole supporting his frame. Upon hearing her voice he looked up, eyes squinting into sun and made the first motion to take a step forward. She saw and made note of his bloody nose then. The Gorasni officers were quick to apprehend him, the others having their own set of handcuffs with which one was quick to slap around Baird's wrists as he pulled them behind the man's back. This was not the scene Sam had been expecting when they got back to the dock, not by far.

"Wait!" She yelled again, needing a moment to at least make sense of all of this. "Let me…let me talk to him?"

Why she wanted to she wasn't entirely sure herself but the officers seemed to begrudgingly accept her request for a moment and didn't drag Damon off then and there. Her head was shaking when she looked him in the eye.

"So does this mean you're going to get off that boat?" Baird asked in that know-it-all tone that drove her nuts. "Because judging by the male to female ration you're going to be pregnant long before you ever reach your destination."

"UGH! Fuck you Baird," Sam snarled, embarrassed to find herself having to have this conversation in public with an entire audience gathered around them. If he had drug her back to dry land just to continue and embarrass her, well then the mission was a success. "Why are you doing this? Why is it that you have to keep torturing me?"

He found his mouth felt particularly dry now and it seemed like his heart was crawling back up his throat, choking off the air he had fought so hard to win back moments before. Sam _was _mad, he could tell that even from fifteen meters away. It was all he could do to not make another wise ass comment, because that was just what he did to avoid any real conversation about emotions. No, now was the time to man up and say something real.

"Because…," Baird fumbled a bit with the words wanting to but unable to really procrastinate any longer all circumstances considered, "because I'm a socially stunted man-child who is nearly incapable of achieving normal human relationships due of my own emotional shortcomings and inadequacies."

It had been a pretty damn impressive summary the first time he'd heard it and hadn't been able to come up with much of a better one there after. It was the reason he'd done just about every stupid thing when it came to Sam he'd realized as well. She was staring at him a little dumbfounded now. Unsure if she could understand the point he was trying to convey, he kept on going.

"Right? That's not the reason I did this- I mean it kind of is-"

"You being an asshole is not my fault Baird!" She countered, not needing him to tell her things she already was more than well aware and a first hand victim of.

"I know, none of it is! I am an asshole alright? But when I'm around you sometimes I don't want to be such an asshole, or maybe just a different kind of asshole. Maybe the kind of asshole who can manage to achieve at least one normal human relationship… Do you understand what I'm saying?"

This was an apology. The fact hit her like a ton of bricks to which she was glad she still had a hold on the railing. She wouldn't have toppled but it did weaken her knees just a bit He didn't do this to mess with her, Baird did this so he could apologize to her. Obviously not as moved by such a sweeping and incredibly illegal gesture the officers had given them more than an adequate amount of time and started pulling Blondie back away from the dock.

"Are you saying your sorry Damon?" Sam asked, not caring how loud they yelled now or who heard.

"Are you going to get off the boat, Samantha?" He yelled back.

"Only if you apologize!"

It was hard to tell from as they dragged him off but from a distance, along with the blood on his upper lip Sam could have sworn Baird had a shit eating grin on his face and he taunted her over his shoulder.

"Only if YOU get off that God damn boat!"

Of course he would get the last word in, he had to. Baird stopped resisting as he was lead away looking back once half way up the hill to see if Samantha had made up her mind. Having fantasized about all the punches she'd throw and venomous words she'd spit the whole way back she found herself completely unprepared for this situation. There was a part of her that some how remained thoroughly unimpressed, convinced Baird must have been faking his sincerity. The other smarter half knew that Baird didn't give two shits about being sincere and there for had no real reason to fake it. He had been escorted back up and into the crowd while she still stood aboard The Constant whose bridge was finally lowering for removal of it's crew prior to inspection.

"So what are you going to do Sam?" She'd almost forgotten about Cole until she heard the bellow of his deep baritone voice from a few meters below. He was smiling, perhaps just as impressed by the whole act as she was.

Sam sighed, lightly feigning defeat as she tossed her duffel bag down over the side of the ship to her friend. "Here, catch!"

It was hard to stop the smile that was pulling at her cheeks and making the muscles sore with its intensity. She gave Noah an empathetic look and shrug when she caught him mournfully watching her from the corner of his eye. Really what was a girl to do? All she could think while subduing that grin and making her move towards the bridge was _fucking Baird._


	17. Chapter 17

[ Alright, no two-chapter updates this week but only because this one ended up being longer than most of my entries are. As always I would like to thank the readers and reviewers for giving me a reason to write and post. I'm glad to know the apology rang true, I wanted a grand sweeping gesture but keeping in Baird's idea of 'romantic.' Hence…bomb threat haha. I did indeed give Noah his name because they were on a boat because sometimes writers get lazy too. But with no further delays here's chapter 17, enjoy! ]

Totally worth it., every minute was totally worth all of this Baird thought to himself with that smug self-assured grin on his lips. Oh the Gorasni government had labeled him as a terrorist and Marcus was most likely going to demote him in the end, but he'd managed to put a smile back on the face of the woman he'd been at fault from removing them from over the past several days. He was sure he would never forget the image of her on that ship leaning halfway over the railing as that angry scowl turned into a slow grin. As much as he loved the taunting and tormenting that got Samantha all sorts of hot and angry being able to make her smile felt like a much more worthy accomplishment now all things considered. It seemed like his message had gotten through even though the last image of her he'd seen she'd been making no effort to leave the ship. But she had to have stayed, right?

It was a startling realization but Baird hadn't given much thought nay, any to the idea that maybe Samantha had no intention of forgiving him regardless of all grand romantic gestures. After all, he hadn't actually said the words 'I'm sorry' and perhaps she wasn't interested in them in the end. These thoughts came on quickly and undermined that air of confidence that had inflated him. It made the man nervous and he started fiddling his thumbs round and round each other, hands folded between his knees.

Looking up from the dull cement floor Damon stared on straight ahead at the wall of bars that separated him from freedom and several other prisoners that looked of the most unsavory variety. The island's holding area was located several stories beneath Azura's outward beauty, a whole long corridor with eight individual cells on each side most dimly lit with fluorescent bulbs of which half only worked, while some cells had nothing but just darkness to bathe in. There was a litany of stains on every surface Baird wasn't interested in looking too closely at either lest he uncover any more of Azura's terrifying past. It wasn't his first time in jail and but was surprisingly not as bad as most of the other incidents. They'd made sure to keep him and the other inmates separate, for whose safety he could only guess. If Sam wasn't coming back that meant that this all was for nothing and he would be left to rot pathetically in a cell somewhere for a to be determined amount of time. Still he had said what he meant and needed to for once in his life. Maybe just doing the right thing would be his reward in the end if nothing else, but it seemed like a really shitty consolation prize if you asked him.

_Where the fuck is she? _Baird thought before standing up from the slab of a bench which was the only thing that adorned the cell's eight by ten foot walls save for a metal toilet with no seat on the opposite side. _The luxuries just never end…_

Hands wrapped around the vertical bars he leaned his head against them as well and tried to pure as far down the hallway as possible wondering if perhaps that was the sound of a door closing not too far away. Twenty minutes in lock up and he was already losing it. Truth be told it felt like he'd been losing it for some time before the events of today, the moments of his unraveling sanity seemed to stretch back past their brief stay in Anvil Gate, back to his time spent on the Sovereign. He wasn't completely crazy though. There had been a door closed in the distance and whomever responsible was the owner of the heavy lazy footsteps clunking over the concrete floor. Not Sam, she didn't sound like that at all. Just another corporate officer making his rounds to ensure none of the inmates had hung themselves with their own shoelaces yet. Damon released a frustrated sigh as he leaned back from and let go of the bars and returned to sit back on the edge of the bench. There wasn't much left he could do now, but wait.

* * *

><p>It was hard to find the right words to say for herself. While Samantha didn't feel that she was exactly in the wrong for abandoning The Constant and her scheduled trip to Anvegad there was a distinctive nagging voice in her head reminding her now that she was putting the interests of some man over her own. She was throwing common sense and a reasonable future to the wind for that blonde grease monkey that had done nothing but make her life a constant living hell. Maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration on her part though. Yes Baird had always been annoying and stuck up, but he was also right about 90% of the time and the one Delta turned to when all else failed. He was an asshole, his words not hers, but it wasn't like he was the worst asshole she'd ever met. Right? He had a big mouth, among other things, and a whole lot of explaining to do now that he'd created this scene.<p>

All these thoughts racing through her mind at a speed too fast to keep up with were starting to make her head hurt. Sam pinched the bridge of her nose between her forefingers and closed her eyes, trying to push them all to the back. No such luck. Despite her mental nitpicking she realized she was still smiling and as much as she tried to stop, it just always seemed to come right back.

Walking at an even pace with Augustus they hadn't said much of anything to each other since she scrambled down the ship's deck and he cleared an easy path up through the masses gathered around the pier. Now when she tried to steal a subtle glance in his direction and he looked right back conversation couldn't be avoided. There was a subtle upward turn of the man's mouth as Cole struggled not to gloat over all of this. Just several hours before when he'd tried to tell Sam to stay she'd most abruptly informed Cole he should mind his own business and just try and keep Baird on a shorter leash from now on.

"I'm not going to say it," Sam stated, defiantly.

"Say what?" Cole raised an eyebrow and adjusted her bag over his shoulder. He refused to let a lady carry her items when there was a man about.

"You know and I'm not saying it because then I would still be saying it." The sentence came out more convoluted than she had anticipated, and wondered if it even made sense.

"Oh, you mean 'I was right?'" He asked, some how without the a sense of mockery. Cole was a lot of things, but certainly not a know-it-all or one to rub someone's gaffes in their face. That must have been what endured him to Damon so much.

"Something like that," she admitted, before beginning to rationalize her actions. "It's not like that's the only ship on this island you know? I'm sure I can find another one that'll take me to Anvil Gate before the day's over."

With the show over, ending in what almost everyone there watching must have considered an incredibly anti-climactic finale completely devoid of fireworks and all other explosions the people had started to ebb back to their duties and places of work. Of course they stared as Sam and Cole cut and weaved through them but for the first time today Sam was honestly unaware of the attention. It was nice to walk with Gus because everyone made a concentrated effort to let him through rather than get lost under foot and they traversed the outer most path along the island quicker than usual.

"So why did you get off that ship at all then, Sam?" Cole wasn't dumb, nor did he think so of Samantha. However he **knew** she was stubborn, wasn't apt to take other's advise if she didn't agree with it and extremely prideful. She was a much more attractive package for a personality type he'd been dealing with for several years now. He just wanted Samantha to admit to herself why she was back on dry land.

An eyebrow raised along with a corner of her mouth as she tried to figure out what to even tell herself. "I don't know Cole, I guess it felt right? Maybe I was caught up in the whole heat of the moment, it's not the first time I've made that mistake with Blondie after all. I guess he just seemed _genuine _for once in his life and I want to figure out if that's real."

"Ya don't get much more real than a bomb threat," he thought out loud to himself, more than he really meant to say. The stutter in his teammates step was a good indication that was the first she'd heard of such a thing and her face confirmed it as she gawked at him, jaw slack. "I guess he had to be sure they were really going to turn your boat back."

It was the God damn dumbest thing she could imagine and explained perfectly the controlled panic of the ship's crew. Of all stupid things Baird had done this was his crowning accomplishment without a doubt. Sure he had _had _actually blown up a ship before lending credence to his words, but that had been for good reason, he was killing a leviathan. Now here he had threatened the destruction of another vessel just for what he knew might just be a few moments of her time. It was stupid and so fucking sweet Samantha swore it made her teeth hurt just thinking about it. Trying to keep that smile at bay was useless now so she kept her gaze to the stone streets and her own boots as much as she could incase Cole wanted to call her out on being impressed by Baird's crime and that yes, he had been right when he told her she should stay earlier. She thought back to it…

_Carmine jogged up the beach taking his ball with him as he went and left the two other Gears to converse. Samantha was unfortunately facing into the sun as she looked up and towards Cole to address him. They both knew why he had come here and on whose behalf which for a somewhat confusing reason made the woman's blood boil. Obviously Cole wasn't too excited about the prospect of having this conversation with her either, she was still seething despite her stoic warrior woman persona and he didn't deserve any of her wrath that might spill over. He just had to remind himself she was his friend and so was Baird and someone had to set this whole damn mess right._

"_Can we just pretend to have this conversation Cole? I'll tell everyone you begged me to stay, told me Baird really is a great guy, just some poor misunderstood genius and that I was still such an unrelenting bitch I left regardless of your emotionally charged words. It's a win-win situation." She asked, truly tired of having to hear everyone's opinion on this matter._

_Up until then she couldn't recall if she'd ever heard him scoff before. It was an odd thought and trying to make eye contact with the man while partially staring into the sun made it hard to tell, but the expression on his face actually seemed quite a bit insulted._

"_You know who sound like when you get all defensive and stubborn like that don't you?" He countered and watched her eyes narrow._

"_Just let this go, please Cole I'm asking nicely. It's not up for debate, I want to go home. I don't want to have to keep dealing with Baird's … Bairdness. I thought I was ready for it and everything else when I joined Delta but I guess I was wrong."_

_Of course he had heard what Damon had said and done, he was only a dozen meters away when it went down. Hell, Cole knew they had slept together without Baird ever saying a word, he had just assumed finally giving in to all that overt tension between the two would calm the guy down, not send him barreling over the cliff of overreaction. Should've known better of course, the guy was about as cuddly and sensitive as the business end of a Lancer, add in mommy issues and it was a recipe for him to try and fire bomb every relationship with a woman he had. Anya being the man's superior was certainly the only thing that saved her from much of his day in and day out rude ramblings, but the fact Sam played into it all hadn't helped her case in the end. Baird famously didn't know when enough was enough._

"_I know he went too far this time Samantha and whether you believe it or not I'm sure Blondie feels bad about it. You've got to stick around though, without you here there's not going to be anyone to give him what he deserves when he gets out of line." Cole tried to reason as lightheartedly as he could. It was true she was the only person around who gave it to Baird just as rough as he did to everyone else._

"_If Baird was capable of feeling remorse he would be the one out here Cole, not you. If you're so worried about __**him**__ maybe you'll keep him on a shorter leash from here on out. I'm not his nanny."_

_She didn't typically raise her voice to Gus, she never had reason to. But listening to him try and defend that little prick had gotten her riled up and she ended up snapping. Of course she felt bad as soon as she said it and continued to even after she left the island…_

Thinking about her inability to take advise, she hadn't realized Cole was talking to her now and she came back to attention in the midst of the conversation and their stroll. Luckily she was able to step in without missing a beat.

"-probably locked in some General's office getting the tar beat out of him. I'm sure Fenix knows where the Princess is by now. Ha_-HA_, you know that man is gonna have it out for him. You want me to help ya find him?"

He was talking about Baird of course, and yes Sam did. But she also felt like letting Baird agonize just a little longer over her and giving Cole the apology he deserved.

"Nah," Sam laughed, catching her pal off guard with the response. "Let him sweat it a little more. I actually kind of feel like getting a drink. You in? My treat."

* * *

><p>When caught in a lie there were two options one had before them. They could either come clean and accept both guilt and responsibility or they could continue with said lie forcing them to invent new ones to go along with the original. This was the exact fork in the road Anya Stroud now found herself facing with the clock running down until the point she would have to make a decision. She'd answered the call about a quarter of an hour ago from Willings' supervisor Lt. McMahon to discover her Corporal reporting the presence of an explosive device on The Constant, the very ship she'd told Baird that Samantha was leaving on not shortly before then. The Lieutenant wanted to know if both Baird and the threat should be taken seriously, so she lied.<p>

"_Corporal Baird is by far one of the most respected and valuable soldiers in our squad, as well as an unparalleled mechanic. Any information he has regarding the safety of your supplies and crew should be taken with utmost seriousness."_

Unless he had actually found a way of getting a bomb on that ship Stroud knew it was all a lie. Why Baird had to go straight to terrorism with his bluff she didn't understand but still had to deal with which brought her back to the decision she still had to make. Let Baird hang out to dry or help bust him out? Her com-link and personal line hadn't stopped buzzing for the last twenty minutes even when she ignored the calls, so she shut them off hoping a moment of silence would allow her to think. One someone who had been trying to get a hold of her for long enough made it a point to just find her face to face instead.

The door to her small workspace, a tiny receptionists desk and waiting room she'd taken over just outside the medical wing, opened with no knock and more force than the hollow metal needed. She was quick to swat and pin down several lose sheets of paper that were disrupted by the gust of air Marcus brought in with him. Even though her heart sank at the site of him Anya did her best to keep things professional, it didn't take being the man's lover to see he was upset. He didn't explode with any explicatives or accusations immediately but it seemed if perhaps that restraint just was because seeing her again for the first time since their disagreement last night was a bit more of a shock to the conscience than he might have expected. No it wasn't the first time she'd seen hard-as-nails Marcus falter but it might have been the first time she found some pleasure in it, fleeting as it was.

"Baird got himself arrested," he grumbled but made no move to take a seat or even a step from the spot he had frozen in upon entry, "on a half a dozen different felonies no less."

"I know, I have every branch of the Gorasni Government breathing down my neck and seeking answers. Not to mention that the UIR made a point that they haven't let this go unnoticed either. If they want to call this an 'act of war' it could completely destabilize the peace talks that have been in negotiation for the last forty-eight hours between all organizations."

She looked tired and he found himself wondering how much sleep she'd gotten the night before, having not spent it with her to know. By all accounts Anya had every right to be tired and upset, she was constantly juggling a series of political run-arounds from the higher ups of every military while also trying to keep the day-to-day operations of everyone below her moving efficiently on this island. Of course she had subordinates like himself that were supposed to make this sort of work easier and Baird was perhaps one of the most invaluable ones due to his extensive mechanical and engineering knowledge. He had brought the repair of Azura and almost Sera itself to a stop with this one stunt and while Anya should have been cursing his name she was just sighing and rubbing her neck, stressed but certainly not angry.

His lack of reply, replaced instead by a long ponderous gaze was enough for the Lieutenant to realize he knew something was a miss just several seconds after arriving. He always had been far more perceptive than most people realized. Anya had never really expected she would be able to hide her whole involvement in this issue but she also didn't think that she would find herself admitting to it so quickly and to him first of all.

"Baird got a hold of me this morning about an hour ago asking which ship Sam was leaving on so I told him. Not too long there after, I have someone from the Gorasni Navy asking if I know a Corporal Baird and if his threat is worth returning their desperately needed supply vessel to dock for inspection," Stroud explained as she started shuffling a myriad of reports and papers into their respective folders. "I knew Baird was lying but I said yes anyway. So now the question is do I keep lying to cover our asses and try to clear his name or-"

"Why?" Fenix cut in abruptly, his head snapping to the side to watch as Anya got up from her chair. "Why'd you do any of this to begin with?"

A slender hand brushed at the wrinkles of her pencil skirt, the other gripping a sealed manila envelope. Now that she'd thought about the choices aloud, it was an easy decision to make. Anya took several steps to cross the room, forcing Marcus to notice she was wearing heels today as she began to ease her way around his broad form and out the door. Not of course before she gave him that trademark soft look of hers, bottom lip chewed on momentarily while her eyes looked him over from top to bottom, through and through.

Her shoulders shrugged just slightly and she explained, "I guess I just want see the best in people Fenix, even if they are a little rough on the outside sometimes."


End file.
